1) Learn how to take tests without actually learning more about the subject. This is the least useful of the entire list. Yes, it can be possible to get a small improvement on some standardized, machine graded exams by utilizing certain tricks. I’m not going to tell you about these tricks. They are a cheat. Admittedly, perhaps necessary cheats given that too often exams don’t test what the instructors really want them to test. In the end, though, they do a disservice to the student, to society, and to education.

2) Improve Understanding by Re-reading your assigned readings. Reading to learn is nothing at all like reading for fun. Textbooks rarely have engaging plots and characters. At least not at first glance. In any case, even the most exciting of textbook chapters should be read more than once simply because the information contained therein is new. Moreover, there is a method to this re-reading. First skim through the chapter taking note of section headings and phrases in bold face. This tells you what the author thinks is most important. For the second reading, read slowly, taking notes and writing down questions that may come up as you read. Some of these might be answered as you continue to read. If they are, make a note of the answers. Finally, the third reading is the one that you try to relate the various terms and sections to one another. Sometimes those of your questions that weren’t answered before are clarified with this reading. If your text comes with questions and problems at the ends of the chapter (or throughout the chapters) now is the time to start working on them. You should be able to relate them to the various sections and at least understand what the problems are asking. If not, go for a fourth reading and branch out to other resources.

3) Ask Questions of your professor in class and outside of class. Be aware that if you ask them in class you could be doing a favor for several of your fellow students who are perhaps more shy than you. If you still don’t get it, say so. If you don’t want to ask in class, take advantage of your professor’s office hours and email. Note as well, that as the professor gets to know you, you begin to build a reputation that can help tip a borderline grade in your favor.

4) Form or Become Part of a Study Group but be careful that your work really is your own. Studying with others means that you discuss the concepts and bounce ideas off each other. You are trying to help each other gain insight and understanding. Besides, professors are very good at quickly determining who knows what’s going on and who just used a few of the same words.

5) Make Use of the Library and Librarians. Your school has at least one librarian and he or she can help you learn how to write, research, and cite sources more effectively.

6)Take Care of Your Health by getting the rest you need and eating as nutritiously as possible. Exercise is also an imperative but interestingly most students at all levels have less of an issue with this than with getting enough sleep and eating properly.

7)Pay Attention in the Classroom and to guidelines the professor lays out for you. Honestly, this one can be difficult if you are in elementary school or if you are a grad student. For the former, the days inside are long and often dreary compared to the daydreaming on their very young minds. For the latter, there’s all that research they are doing when not in class. I recall being a youngster and musing about the wind rifling through the leaves one Spring day instead of listening to my teacher. (Thankfully, I had already read far ahead of whatever it was she was droning on about.)

Start Your Homework Assignments Early especially if it’s for a subject you might be a bit weak in. This way, if you run into trouble you have time to ask for help. And in the case of papers, you have time to get the research done and the paper blocked out before you start to write it.

What are your tips for better grades for students?

I am a lifelong learner and my interests span a huge range of topics from various artistic techniques to many of the sciences, and, now, as an artist entrepreneur, into some fields of business. Last week, I discussed my foray into developing bead bezels for some of my old Swarovski jewels. The last picture was of six Rivolis encased in delicate open weave netting. I have since used three of these stones in a large piece for decorating one’s hair. The piece is at once a Bubbe Pin™ and a jhumar and I have entered it in the Etsy Beadweavers September Challenge. In working the piece I learned more about Indian hair jewelry, about what weaves will do what I want, about how engineering is also part of being an artist (at least it is for me) and how I can still amaze myself when a work comes out so well that my heart beats faster with excitement.

Below is a picture of the work and of course a link so that you can visit the Etsy Beadweaver’s blog between the 9th and 15th of September and see both my entry and all the others and, please, vote for your favorite.

You also get a chance to see the opulence of the pallev of this sari (which I will be wearing for my nephew’s Bar Mitzvah).

It doesn’t have to be this way! On the one hand, we can take a chance and use that fine antique tea set even if only rarely, while on the other hand being careful to clean and store it properly. In my own family, my mother has a set of old Syracuse China in the Federal pattern which we use maybe three times a year. It is well loved for its connection to the past, but it doesn’t go in the dishwasher nor is it ever put away wet.

When it comes to clothing and jewelry, things are a bit different. Clothing, because of the organic nature of the materials, is particularly fragile when it comes to aging. Moreover, one can’t depend on familial relations to assure that grandma’s 1950′s garden party sundress (with the really cool tulle petticoat) will even fit. Even if it does fit, is it your style? (Personally, I see no reason to ever wear a skirt with an appliquéd poodle on it, but that’s just me.) Similarly for old jewelry; it may be broken or not to your fancy, or it may be desired by several family members. Or perhaps you made a purchase of a piece whose siren call was just too much for you.

Most articles of clothing, while they can be recut and restyled, probably aren’t going to be easily made into more than one new piece. But if it’s very worn, at least you can salvage some cloth and use it in quilting, doll making, doll clothing, appliqué work, and more as your imagination reveals. I’ve bought antique and vintage clothing to wear as is which worked because I could easily do some small seam repair. I have one vintage (it’ll be an antique in less than a decade or so) jacket whose buttons I replaced and I wore so much I wore the elbows out. I’ll probably cover then with some kind of decorative appliqué and wear it again (after I’ve lost a bit of size myself).

Jewelry can be much more problematic partly because of all the attendant emotional conflicts that often arise. Engagement rings are sometimes passed along unchanged, but just as often stones are reset either to account for changes in taste or because the band has been worn almost through or because there are numerous offspring to share the stones. Much less emotionally trying are bracelets and necklaces which can usually be broken apart and completely remade. Earrings and brooches generally pass unchanged from owner to owner but they, too, can be modified or incorporated – transformed – into new works of wearable art.

The steps taken to transform an old piece of jewelry into a new heirloom are occasionally complex but also occasionally simple. This depends on the nature of the pre-existing piece and the parameters of the new Piece or pieces to be created. The simplest transformation is taking single beads or charms from a bracelet or necklace and creating a separate necklace or bracelet for each sister and cousin. A necklace with many components can be remade into earrings and a bracelet (or a simpler necklace) or a brooch. Sometimes, it’s necessary to add components. In one case, I transformed a plain silver colored necklace of three leaves connected by simple folded bands of metal and draped around the neck with a chain into a work of art with many colored rhinestones placed one by one in the leaves, connectors of semi-precious faceted aventurine beads and Swarovski crystal bicones linking the leaves and a hand crafted bead woven cord of many tiny seed beads in complimenting colors.

On my Transform page you can see some other examples, including a necklace of netting made of bugle beads featuring a transformed vintage rhinestone brooch as the centerpiece.

One of my clients has even suggested taking the beads, jewels and sequins from an old wedding dress and using them to create a new set of jewelry. There’s so much you can do to reuse past treasures that have faded for one reason or another and turn them into heirlooms that you can share with the future.

I look forward to reading your suggestions and ideas here along with any questions. What have I missed?

In most of the west, jeans, plain tops, and sandals (or athletic shoes) are the most common form of dress. Sometimes skirts and blouses and occasionally a real dress makes an appearance, but for the most part the clothing is conservative even when it tries to be daring. Today, I am going to introduce you to some other fashion statements from other countries that you might not have ever encountered before.

Thanks to a television program, NCIS the fashion subculture, Goth is not totally unheard of. But the show’s forensic scientist, Ms Abby Sciuto, is hardly daring in her dress compared to the many styles that are seen in Japan.

Goth Lolita (or Gothloli) is but one of the subculture Lolita fashion movements in Japan. The basic Lolita premise is to create a sweet, pretty (or beautifully innocent) appearance, but there are at least ten named variations (or, subtypes,) of the Lolita fashion. I particularly like Wa Lolita which incorporates modified kimono and haori with petticoat style skirts, and Classic (Aristocrat) Lolita with its Regency style elegance. Of course, Goth Lolita is in a class of its own. For some very lovely images of real people wearing these (and other) Lolita styles see Lolita Fashion at Wikipedia.

India has developed its own fashion archetypes, most of which do not merely follow the west’s. Saris, despite how much they typify most westerner’s vision of India, are actually almost a modern development. In fact, the National drape, now seen everywhere is likely not much more than a hundred or so years old. Traditionally, saris range in length from 5 to 9 yards of cloth with borders along the length and at least one fancy ned border (the Pallav or Pallau). but even this is not standard throughout India as there are traditional cloths without any decoration and some with two pallevs. Stictched clothing also exits (for example salwar and kameez) as well as jackets and vests and the far more traditional dhoti and veshti still worn in a few regions. Modern Indian fashion is, however, greatly influenced by this country’s own film industry (Bollywood) to an enormous extent with fantasy cloths featuring embroideries, jewels, unusual fabrics in an amazing array of opulence. There has even been some fusion of Indian style with western for evening gowns and formal wear especially.

My own personal preference is for traditional weavings in 6, 8 and 9 yard lengths, (although I am planning on purchasing a two 4 yard set of cloths that may predate the invention of the modern sari but as a direct ascendant). My favorite source for saris at present is Sari Safari in Portland Oregon. I was lucky enough to obtain an 8-yard and a 9-yard sari from the late Chantel Boulanger, who spent many years promoting draped clothing and made an in depth study of the dying drapes of India. (I believe her book may still be available from Sari Safari.)

Africa as a continent is only now beginning to come into its own as a fashion center. While the mainstream is mostly western there is a strong emergence of high style based on traditional clothing and adornment. Stunning and amazing are two words that describe some of these works perfectly. Sadly, my knowledge of this movement (or perhaps collection of movements, for Africa is not one country and culture but many of both) is very lacking. If you know more, please write about it in the comments section. I’d love to hear from you!

As a youngster, I did my best to ignore them. After all, despite my love for learning, there was little to no love lost between school and me and I had no desire to be reminded that my Summer freedom was on the cusp of being curtailed.

I’m not ready for Autumn, as pretty a season as it might be. I am still eager for flowers and meadows and bright sunshine lasting late into the day. How about you?

The Roaring twenties find looser fitted clothing and waists have dropped from the empire height to down about the hips. For suits, the fit is rather loose. Skirts are straight, lacking the feminine line of twenty years ago. Blouses, too, are loose and hide the feminine curves. Skirt length continues to shorten until by 1929, they each just below the knees.

Fashions of the 1930s show how drastic evolution from the turn of the century, with flowing curve-fitting dress lines, short sleeves and a lack of overlays of fabric. A woman nowadays would not seem so far fetched wearing a Summer dress from that era. The forties seemed to be a continuation of emphasizing a woman’s form until the influence of WWII when clothing begins to take on an almost masculine look. This probably occurs because while men go off to war, women begin to take over their jobs at all levels especially in the factories.

The technological and scientific advances of that time were far-reaching and rapidly changing, but it has been the most recent three or so decades that have seen the fastet and greatest change in technology (although scientific understanding continues to advance quickly, it seems to me that it could be even faster under the right conditions – this is a treatise for another time and place, however). Has fashion also changed with similar rapidity? I say no. In fact, fashion now shows a kind of cycling with color themes, boot and shoe styles, cuts and drapes seeming to come and go with only minor variations to differentiate them from earlier decades’ fashion trends.

Some things have remained constant – men’s suits have hardly changed at all once they took on the form of suit coat, trausers, button down shirts and ties. Womens skirts move up and down and there are a few standard cuts. The mini skirt (the thigh high skirt of the late 1960s and early 1970s hasn’t actually disappeared so much as lost its name and shock value. Padded shoulders come and go but that’s a minor structural change. Tee shirts and jeans have been acceptable casual wear for at least 60 years (though the cut and line fo the jeans vary). The last thirty years show a fashion sense that is very nearly motionless!

There are two most likely conclusions to be drawn from this. Either people no longer reach out to experiment and rebel against standard fashion dictates or anything goes. There is a third possibility; that the truth is something of a combination of these.

Next week I will write about some fashion forms that would seem to refute my assertion that fashion evolution may have come to a grinding halt. You might be surprised where this takes us.

Google asks, “Are you feeling lucky?” I typed in “raindrops” and hit enter. The first site on the list is a game. The fifth listing is a US government site featuring an article discussing the reasons raindrops are different sizes. You knew that they came in different sizes, didn’t you? The tiny droplets of a drizzle. The fat projectiles of a raging storm.

The sixth listing is a tutorial for creating raindrops (pictorially, I assume) in Photoshop. I use PhotoImpact for my digital art and have drawn not raindrops but the effect of rain on an open sea during a heavy storm. It was for the PhotoImpact Workshop I’m working through, but even for a first attempt at using some of the effects, it’s darn good. I like it.

In my mind there is a fishing trawler just out of the picture. To the right. Do you see its lights?

That’s what good art does. It makes you see beyond the edge using only your own imagination.

All of these traits are part of what makes me the individualist that I am. The fact that I am semi-organized but not fanatical about my closet probably reflects my taste for non-symmetry, neat but fluid and opulent design, and garments that are anything but expected.

Does anyone hang their clothing alphabetically? In some stores one sees garments of any given type segregated by color. I wonder if any personal closets are set up the same way.

Which brings me to color. Stores, naturally, have a wide range of colors, but do you? In another post Your Tastes Over Time: Color and Texture I wrote about color preferences and how they might or might not evolve as time passes. If your closet houses clothing from your younger years you can determine this. If you haven’t thought about your color preferences in a long time and are feeling uninspired and unhappy with your wardrobe and environment, try looking at the colors surrounding you. It might be time for a change.

If you follow fashion trends (rather than setting your own trends), this, too, is evident in your closet. Unless, of course, you replace everything in your closet twice a year. Jackets with padded shoulders (are they “in” or “out?” Wait long enough and the trend will be whichever of those you prefer,) and a peplum might hang next to minimalist hip-length unpadded jackets. Cuffs or no cuffs on men’s dress trausers. Pinstripe jeans and cigarette pants. When was the last time you wore that backless black dress and does it still fit?

Or do you actively seek vintage clothing from the 20s (that’s almost antique!), 30s, 40s, (etc)? One of my favorite shops when I lived in NYC and they were still on B’way between 13th and 14th, was Cheap Jack’s Vintage Clothing, where I purchased a beautiful antique silk brocade cheongsam, two white blouses from the 1940s and yearned for the Victorian dresses in his window.

If you don’t know what’s in your closet, it’s past time you took an inventory. You might be pleasantly surprised. Or you might decide it’s time to sell a few things and replace them with pieces more in tune with your present needs and desires. In any case, I encourage you to go take some time to see what treasures await in the dark recesses of your bedroom closet.

Ok, so furiously is too active a word for sweltering heat that makes one want to melt away. But this heat does seem to be aggravating a lot of people! This Wednesday blog post reminds us northern dwellers that Winter is driving snow and chilling the homes and streets of our neighbors far below the equator.

Punta Arenas, Chile Typical temperatures for this time of year are around freezing and much snowfall. Not surprising given that this is the world’s southernmost city. Even in the north it’s ski season (remember, the Andes always have their cap of snow).

Sydney, Australia Winter Festivals are the height of social activity including an Alpine festival by the sea in Bondi, going on now. And of course it’s ski season!

Cape Town, South Africa More wet then snowy so we’ll ignore this continent for now.

Various cities in Antarctica Surprisingly warm for the most part (above freezing if only just) except for McMurdo which has a temperature of minus 34 degrees Fahrenheit on Sunday 18 July at 5:31 PM Eastern Time. However, it has clear skies while everyone else is suffering through rain or snow.

Find your own weather report here at the bbc weather page.