Design Your Own Tattoo with Online Tools

Whether you're decorated with tattoos or planning your first one, online tools and resources can help you design something you'll love. Even if you're not an artist, Web applications and image libraries can help you craft the perfect graphic. When you can't design one yourself, some sites pair you with an artist who can help. If you still can't visualize -- or commit -- to permanent body art, consider a custom temporary tattoo of your design to try before you buy.

Lettering Resources Names, religious verses, song lyrics and poetry help people create some meaningful tattoos. If you hope to incorporate lettering into your design, you'll need to find the right font. You can search font directories like FontSpace and Fonts.com for "tattoo" to download and install fonts on your computer. You can then use the fonts in your favorite word-processing application to create your tattoos. However, not all fonts that display in search results will be suitable for tattoos, and you may want to consult a tattoo artist before making your final selection.

Other Web applications allow you to enter your tattoo text and then sample it in various fonts, colors and sizes. Tattoo Lettering offers about 35 fonts and several colors from which to choose. Once you find a lettering that you like, you can either print or download it to take to your tattoo artist, or download the font to work within your favorite word-processing application. The Tatuaze Tattoo Lettering Designer offers a few additional sizing options, multiple lines and different fonts. However, this site only allows for right-click image saving to your computer

Do-It-Yourself Design
When you want a graphical tattoo, but aren't quite sure of the exact graphics, other online resources can help. Tattoo Planner , for example, not only offers design tips and fonts, but includes a library of images. The site also provides access to custom design services. If you choose this service, you can submit a picture of yourself and the artists who run the site will show you how your one-of-a-kind design looks on your body. You can also browse online galleries, such as Free Tattoo Designs , Tattoodles , Tattoos By Design and Flash and Furious . Find elements you like, and then use free image editing tools, such as Pixlr , to piece them together.

Partner With Artists
Not everyone will be able to make the picture in their head materialize on the screen regardless of available pictures and tools. Those people can search for an artist on websites such as Create My Tattoo and TattooDesign.com . Create My Tattoo has a database of thousands of artist profiles and portfolios you can browse. You can also describe your tattoo to create a contest wherein artists submit their designs in hopes of securing your business. Either way, you'll get at least 10 designs from which to choose. You select one and take it to your favorite tattoo shop. You can also submit a description of the picture in your head to TattooDesigns.com to receive a custom sketch from a professional artist. If you like the sketch, the artist works with you to perfect your one-of-kind tattoo.

Think Before You Ink
Still having trouble committing to your design or placement? Try a temporary tattoo. You can submit your image to websites like StickerYou and Tattoo Fun and order custom temporary tattoos. They go on with water and can give you a few days to decide whether you really want the tattoo. Try it out in different placements, sizes and colors. StickerYou allows for orders by the sheet, but Tattoo Fun requires purchase of a multi-sheet package of the same design, which works if you want to try the tattoo in different placements. Try before you buy to ensure you are totally satisfied with your tattoo.

40 Cheap Date Ideas for New and Veteran Couples

Getting to know and spend quality time with your date doesn't have to drain your bank account. No matter your interests, you can plan inexpensive ways to spend time together whether you're going out on your first date or keeping the spark in your marriage.

Food Lovers
Food can charge your tastebuds and conversation at the same time. For as little as a few bucks, you get sweet and spicy with these date ideas:

1. Meet at the local coffee shop or cozy up on your patio to chat over java or tea. Fill a coffee can with silly questions (e.g., "When was the last time you farted and blamed someone else?") and bring it along to your date. Take turns picking a question and laugh as you learn more about each other.
   
2. Turkey sandwiches - check. Bottled water - check. Strawberries and whipped cream - check and check. Just don't forget the napkins for your twosome picnic on the roof...or in the woods...or on the abandoned railroad tracks.
   
3. If you have a backyard fire pit, get some flames jumping and then toast some S'mores or apple mountain pies.
   
4. Have a contest to find the most romantic recipe. Spend some time shopping, and then cook a meal together. A dash of music, two glasses of wine and equal portions of sparkling conversation and teamwork is all it takes to heat up your relationship.
   

Nature Lovers
Parks, trails and back roads offer up some relaxing couple activities that barely cost anything:

1. Just bottle some water, bag some trail mix, and head to your local park to hike on or off the trail. Who knows? -- Maybe you'll find a private spot that you can make your own.
   
2. Don't forget your water socks or sandals. When you find a nice creek or river, slip them on and go for a cool, rocky walk. Look for crawfish, frogs and other critters.
   
3. Feel some wind in your hair on a day-long bike ride through park trails. Or go ahead and tour the town to see your city's historic mansions, cemeteries, and public gardens from the new perspective a bike offers.
   
4. If you're hoping to cover more ground, hop in the car and get lost. Hit the highway with no particular place to go. Look for local attraction signs. Stop, or don't, but enjoy the conversation and scenery.
   
5. You may never find a date as free as a blanket in the backyard as you count clouds or guess their resemblances. Watch the sky change color as the sun sets, and then see who can recognize the most constellations. If you have it in you, impress your date by watching the sun rise in the morning.
   
6. Prove your hunter-gatherer nature by casting a line out in the river and catching dinner (or throwing it back). You and your date can spend the early morning digging for worms, and then, for the cost of a six-pack, spend quality time relaxing to the music of the river.
   
7. For those a little less into eating animals, plan a date to feed them. Head down to a local pond or park with a loaf of bread and feed the ducks or birds.
   

Hometown Tourists
Get to know each other and the town by exploring some inexpensive attractions near you:

1. Art, history, science, sports and music museums will give you plenty to talk about. Not all have cheap admission, however, so compare pricing before you head out.
   
2. Check out local trolley, bus and boat tours in your area. See millionaire homes, haunted houses or cultural landmarks in a single one- to two-hour cruise.
   
3. Cooling off at a local beach or pool gives you the perfect opportunity to show off those abs you've been working on. Before you head out, create Bingo cards with funny things you might see there (e.g., a kid picking his nose or a seagull poop-bombing a sunbather).
   
4. Here's something you can do anywhere and in any weather: dance. Get close and sway to the melody of a summer storm or planes taking off at the airport. If you're the competitive type, plan a contest with your couple friends to see who can dance in more places in a single day. Meet up for drinks at a certain time and compare lists. Winners get free drinks all night.
   
5. Forget big concerts. Spend a few dollars for admission and drinks and you can jam to local bands that play your favorite songs.
   
6. Dating is a lot like garage-sale shopping: You never know what you're going to find. So, go. Check your local paper or the Craigslist's Garage Sale section and find some treasure to bring home.
   
7. If the weather interrupts your plans to walk park trails, trot over to the mall. Window shop and splurge on giant cookies at the food court.
   
8. So you're the type who can't just window shop? No problem. Go the thrift store and save some money. Twist the date by shopping for each other. Funniest outfit contest, anyone?
   

Sporty Types
Athletic people appreciate some physical activity with a little bit of friendly competition, as you might find in these cheap dates:

1. Tennis, basketball, baseball...game on! You and your date can call friends and visit the local park or athletic center for some lovey-dovey competition.
   
2. Maybe you don't want to get so sweaty when you're trying to impress your date. No problem. Putt-putt offers all the fun of competition without high-impact exertion.
   
3. Keep cool on a hot date with a water balloon or squirt gun battle. You can pick these toys up for a few bucks at the local dollar store.
   
4. If you'd rather challenge yourself than the relationship, rollerblading may be a more relaxing, non-competitive activity for your date. If the weather isn't cooperating, check out the local skating rink and share some pizza and soda between skate sessions.
   
5. Pull out the Frisbee or ball and gloves to play catch. This low-cost activity is great for the backyard or the park and may help bridge any fitness gaps in the event one of you isn't athletic.
   
6. Build a snowman. Better yet, build snowmen of each other...holding hands, of course.
   
7. For the price of a sled or inner tube, you can hit the local slopes for high-speed dating fun in the snow.
   

Homebodies
Whether it's raining outside or you're feeling under the weather, you can still appeal to your date's competitive nature with indoor games and activities:

1. Pull out Scrabble, Monopoly or the Game of Life. Board games cost less than a dinner out. If they're out of your price range, a deck of cards offers a number of games for just a couple bucks.
   
2. Take a trip to the local arcade. In addition to video games, you may be able to play air hockey and pinball machines.
   
3. Your local billiard hall may also serve up drinks and local music on certain nights of the week. Of course, shooting pool is just as much fun in the afternoon. Does it really matter what time of day it is when you're watching your date bend and twist around the table for that shot?
   
4. Planning on spending the weekend together and need something cheap to do? Build a puzzle together. This visual challenge can build your teamwork skills and, when it's finished, you can revel in your joint achievement.
   
5. Build something. Get some Legos, Lincoln Logs or other building toys and create a dream house or car. You can also build a Marble Works or similar course and race. Check your local thrift store for used toys.
   

The Artist Within
Art expresses your feelings for each other and engages your senses for hours:

1. Visit your local craft store or search online for projects that accommodate both of your skill sets. Some shops offer craft kits in case you're not sure where to start. You may just find a hobby you can continue together.
   
2. The library lends books to woo your hearts: poetry. Read some together. If you're both in the mood, write a poem together, each creating alternate lines.
   
3. You both play an instrument? Great! Start a band. Otherwise, pull out the iPod and listen to music. You can also create a mixed CD together, taking turns adding songs.
   
4. Pull out the watercolors or the paint-by-numbers. Paint with your fingers, carrot stalks or random objects on paper, canvas or body parts. It's up to you how and where your masterpieces come together.
   
5. A couple of dollars will get you a few pieces of colorful sidewalk chalk. Draw a hopscotch board, write love letters on the pavement or draw a Caribbean beach.
   
6. Get some puff paints, fabric markers or inkjet iron-on transfers and some plain T-shirts for this next date. The goal: fabulous, personalized shirts you can wear to the bar for a few drinks. Let others join in on your laughs by seeing whose designs get the most compliments.
   

Romantics
When you want to connect, just the two of you, consider these private-time activities:

1. Whether your date includes a home movie or picnic in the park or none of the above, don't pass up the opportunity to massage each other. If you really want to impress your date, plan a spa date at your place with soft music, candles, massage and strawberries dipped in chocolate.
   
2. No matter where you are in your relationship, an evening in the hot tub with a couple of icy drinks can make things interesting. No hot tub? Try a bubble bath. If you're not "there" yet, just wear your bathing suits and make a memory you can giggle about when you do get "there."
   
3. Couples with some history can create a memory jar; newbies can make a memories-to-make jar. Divide pieces of paper into quarters and write your favorite memories in those quarters. Fold them up and stick them in the jar. New couples can use the jar for things they want to try or lovey-dovey "prizes" for winning games of tennis or Guitar Hero.
   

Get Free Professional Business Cards

Individuals, non-profit organizations and other groups with tight budgets can get professional quality business cards free. Online printing services provide template options you can customize with your contact information. Just pay for shipping. What these companies hope is that you'll be impressed with the quality of their product and come back for more cards and other marketing products.

Vistaprint
Vistaprint offers about 50 free business card templates from which you can choose. You can't rearrange or alter text fields, nor can you add your logo to the free cards. You can only customize contact information on matte cardstock paper. It also includes Vistaprint advertising on the back of the card, which you can remove or change to a yearly calendar, tip chart, or custom image for a few dollars. For an additional charge, you can also expand your design search to thousands more templates, including cards that feature your own images and logo. The checkout process makes you walk through several screens of offers, but Vistaprint makes this monotonous clicking a small price to pay for quality cards. In the end, you get 250 free cards for the cost of shipping, which is about the same as a drive-through lunch. Pricing for additional business cards and other marketing materials, including websites, signs, invitations and magnets, are reasonable if you're looking for a one-stop shop for branding supplies.

123Print
If using your own card design is important to you, 123Print's free offer includes the option to upload your own design. That means you can create your own background and insert your logo in your favorite image editor, and then use it for your free business cards. You can also choose from more than 100 business templates. Free cards include glossy or matte cardstock. Shipping your free cards costs the least of these reviewed brands, but the offer only includes 100 cards.

1800PostCards
You can also use your own design on free cards offered through 1800PostCards or choose from hundreds of available designs. Unlike competitors, however, 1800PostCards gives you the freedom to move and resize graphics and text in the design templates to fully customize your cards. You'll get 250 free cards with 1800PostCards advertising on the back. Shipping is a bit more expensive than other free business card providers and the turnaround for your cards is 21 days. So you'll have to decide whether full design control is worth the extra time and money for your organization.

4Over4
4Over4 offers the most free cards: 300 of them. You download the Photoshop, Adobe Illustrator, InDesign or Quark Express template, customize your card and submit it. Print turnaround for your cards is five business days, plus two business days to ship. In the end, you get 300 fully customized business cards for about the same price as lunch. 4Over4 also offers additional customization options and other marketing materials.

Design Your Logo Online for Free

It's time to brand your organization by developing a graphic that people will associate with your purpose and message. Maybe you don't know where to begin. New businesses, non-profits and other groups can take advantage of free online tools to design a logo. While designing the logo is free, most of these companies charge you for the high-resolution download you'll need for business cards, T-shirts and postcards. Prices vary with some costing less than a cup of coffee.

LogoMaker
Your high-resolution file from LogoMaker will cost you about the same as dinner for two at a casual restaurant. You get access to the Web-based free Logo Maker and resulting HTML code that allows you to use the logo on your website. Choose a category for your organization. Then, browse the symbol library or choose to create a logo based on lettering or abstract icons. Click an icon to select it. Tutorials linked on the left side of the screen show you how to edit your logo. You can change the color of certain elements within icons, but it is not possible to delete or resize individual parts within the graphic. When you're finished, you can create an account to save your logo. LogoMaker will provide options to buy your logo, access the HTML code or share the logo with your friends and colleagues.

Logo Garden
A similar design experience awaits you at Logo Garden. Begin by selecting your industry and then choose a symbol, letter or abstract icon to incorporate into your design. Logo Garden offers icon backgrounds and frames. In addition, this Web-based application provides more options for shaping and applying effects to your text and graphics. When you're finished, you can download a low-resolution version of your logo to use right away. Logo Garden charges for the high-resolution version. At the time of publication, the purchase included 250 free business cards you can also design on the Logo Garden website.

LogoYes
You can get your high-resolution logo file for about the cost of a coffee from LogoYes by joining the Web.com Website Starter Kit free for a year. Web.com Website Starter Kit offers a website builder, domain registration, templates and stock images. After a year, if you don't cancel your membership, Web.com will charge you a monthly subscription fee. The free Web-based LogoYes logo designer offers a library of unique icons, but only basic manipulation options, such as size and color.

Other Options
You can also try Tweak.com's Free Online Logo Maker, a three-step creation process with the least amount of customization among all of the options outlined above. You can, however, download the low-resolution image free and apply your new logo to business cards and other marketing materials sold at the site. LogoEase offers custom design services if its Web-based design tool doesn't meet your needs. The free Web-based application has the same features as competitors, although the icon library is slimmer. What you get, however, is a free high-resolution download of the logo you create in various file formats. Logaster captures your organization's basic information on the first screen, and then provides a selection of design options that include your organization name and slogan. When you select an option, the Web-based application demonstrates how your logo will look on a digital business card, letterhead and other marketing materials. The low-resolution version is free to download. For the high-resolution version, you'll need to upgrade to one of the monthly subscription plans.