Pencil Portrait Lessons

Pencil Portrait Lessons is an impressive blog that offers step by step tutorials for creating stunning pencil portraits.

If you've always wanted to learn how to draw pencil portraits, the very talented owner/creator of the blog, Michael, will help inspire you to start drawing, and demonstrate the important details you need to look at when you draw. He has also started a new feature on the site where he recommends other artists on the web with a link to their blog.

The Crafty Crow: "a children's craft collective"

The Crafty Crow is a blog that specializes in linking to other blogs that feature children's crafts plus The Crafty Crow also offers tips, tools, tutorials, resources, and other ideas from time to time. The blog author also has another blog called Bella Dia.

My Half of the Brain

If you like making a variety of crafty things, you will be pleased about a blog called My Half of the Brain where each post is about a different craft and the link is provided for the tutorial for that craft.

The tagline for My Half of the Brain is (quite appropriately):

"more tutorials than you can shake a stick at"

Homeschool Hacks blog

Homeschool Hacks is a very useful blog "...dedicated to all areas of educating and raising wonderful children."

The blog provides lots of useful information, ideas, links and support for parents about homeschooling.

TasteSpotting: "feed your addiction"

TasteSpotting is a very cool portal to access recipes on different food blogs.

You choose a recipe by clicking on an image which takes you to a blog where that particular recipe is posted.

The photos are so gorgeous that it's difficult to resist clicking and exploring the site, even if you aren't looking for new recipes. It's a great way to discover new food blogs.

SilverSurfers, "designed for the over50s, used by everyone"

SilverSurfers is a site created for the over 50s in the UK. The site provides a portal to the internet with links to the best resources and websites that would appeal to the over fifties.

Homebug - a blog

Homebug is the clever name of a lovely blog about homes, interiors, art and design.

The blog creator, Zee, - a "house-proud design nut" - resides in Dublin, Ireland. Her aims are "...to highlight online shopping resources and to lend exposure to local and international art, design and homewares."

Homebug offers lots of decorating ideas and inspiration, as well as useful links.

Don't Wake the Baby - a parenting information site

Don’t Wake the Baby is "a UK based Parenting and Pregnancy information Website and forum"
that offers practical advice and tips for parents such as choosing essential baby equipment, and how to cope with tanturms.

Don't miss the page of useful links for parents.

Pregnancy, birth, baby guide

Baby Chaos offers information and advice about getting pregnant and having a baby (in the UK). As the site states:

We are here to guide you through those 9 magical months of being pregnant, giving birth and your baby’s first year.

The site contains lots of useful sections: preparing for pregnancy, pregnancy health issues, pregnancy problems, giving birth, baby development, information about child care, and a section for fathers.

There is also a glossary and a directory that contains links to appropriate sites, and a friendly forum.

Eurotrotter

Eurotrotter is a very useful site for travel information and holidays in Europe.

The site provides access to "...thousands of internet sites about travel and holidays that will enable you to explore your destination, find an accommodation, book a journey or holidays and lead you to all kinds of service-organisations that can be useful to you as a traveler."

The Reckless Gardener - an online gardening magazine

"The Reckless Gardener is an online gardening magazine for not too serious gardener!"

This site is a real treat for anyone who enjoys gardening or is thinking about becoming a gardener but wants some advice and ideas. There are lots of interesting articles, gardening advice, garden design ideas, a garden designer database, garden jobs by month, book reviews, interviews, plus lots of gardening links.

The site also offers a Bed & Breakfast guide for garden enthusiasts, garden news,and photos of the best show gardens from past flower shows.

You can also subscribe to a free Reckless Gardener Newsletter via email.

That's not all - the site links to some Reckless Blogs too!

The Big Project:(lots of!) links to the most useful sites

TheBigProject is a comprehensive site that provides links to the most useful websites.

The site is massive and an incredibly useful resource for everyone.

A handy calendar listing non-profit events & campaigns

The Count Me In Calendar is an invaluable resource to help you keep track of special days and campaigns:

"Over 1, 000 worldwide not-for-profit & community events profiled - updated daily - click on calendars."

I think the Count Me in Calendar is one of the most useful sites on the web and one that you will refer to again and again. Check it out and I'm sure you will agree.

There is a Count Me In blog too.

Bloggers Blog - a blog about blogs

This is a fun and informative blog about what's happening in the blogging world or the "blogosphere":

Bloggers Blog - Blogging the Blogosphere: reporting on blogging news and trends. There is also a very handy link list of blog resources and a useful list of blogging news links.

Portal to best history web sites

If you are studying history or simply want to find out more about history, this site is a fantastic resource:

Best of History Web Sites "is an award-winning portal that contains annotated links to over 1000 history web sites as well as links to hundreds of quality K-12 history lesson plans, history teacher guides, history activities, history games, history quizzes, and more."

Gift finder

Imagini Gift finder is a site that offers free use of a clever way to search for gift ideas (in the UK) on the internet by matching ideas with your answers to a quick visual quiz. You simply "read the words and click the image that feels right" and Imagini does the rest!

I tried it and the wish list result - matched with my "VisualDNA" - was spot on - exactly the sort of gifts I would like to receive!

It's a fun way to get gift ideas and the links to the shops are provided. It makes shopping very easy and you also have the option to email your wish list to your friends, family or yourself.

Tips, tricks and "life hacks"

I'm recommending two similar sites in this post.

If you would like tips and hints to help make life easier and more productive - and who wouldn't?! - you need look no further than Lifehacker, the Productivity and Software Guide.

Lifehacker recommends the software downloads and web sites that actually save time. Don't live to geek; geek to live.

and another site with practical ideas:

Daily digest and pointers on productivity, getting things done and lifehacks at the excellent Lifehack.org blog. The site, created by Leon Ho, a techie who lives in Australia, "contains daily news and articles about self-development and tips and tricks on life."

A blog with lots of neat stuff

Neatorama is a fun blog with lots of neat stuff and interestng links. It's a treasure trove because you never know what you might discover!

Online Newspapers

Onlinenewspapers.com
Links to thousands of national and local newspaper sites from around the world.

The U.S. government interagency Kids' Portal

I like finding good websites for kids and KIDS.GOV is an excellent website. It's the U.S. government inter-agency Kids' Portal which "provides links to Federal kids' sites along with some of the best kids' sites from other organizations all grouped by subject."

This is an impressive site with lots and lots of fantastic links!