Ever since
home sewing machines came to be, they have been a helpful asset and a reliable
partner of capable housewives who either had some spare time for a hobby, or
more likely had to dress their entire households with a fairly small budget.

Obviously, they
all knew very well why learning how to sew was a smart idea, just like any
other sewing enthusiast does nowadays.

If you are
over 60, and still don’t know much about sewing, then you
should definitely take some time to find out what kind of advantages this
craft, or more precisely, art form, offers to anyone who decides to practice it.

Today we’ll
explore why all those people, who aren’t quite sure what they could gain by
learning how to sew, should at least try it out for a while. Because the
positive sides of it are, without a doubt, enticing, to say at least.

Number of Options

Sometimes,
when you want to buy a new piece of clothing and you go out shopping, you go
through all of the stores and still can’t find the thing you had in mind or one that fits you well.

Realistically
speaking, this can happen very often, especially if you have a very refined
taste in fashion. Mass produced garments just don’t offer you enough uniqueness
or style, resulting in the mentioned failure in finding the appropriate
article.

However, when
you make your own clothes from scratch, this can’t happen no matter what. You can
just use your sewing skills and create the clothes you had imagined.

This way, the
number of options you have when it comes to wardrobe pieces is virtually
infinite. No more saying that you don’t have anything to wear!

Sewing Your Own Clothes Will Cost You Less Than Buying Them

Certain types
of clothing can have a pretty ridiculous price tag, especially if they’ve been
made by a very famous designer/manufacturer.

Buying such
items could considerably deplete your home budget, forcing you to cut corners on
other expenses. Funds are usually limited after you retire, so you should make
every cent count.

This isn’t a
problem when you’re sewing your own clothes, though. For the price of one
luxurious dress or gown, you can create two or even three identical pieces that
won’t lack in any way.

You will spend considerably less money by getting a simple sewing machine and making your own clothes while having a relatively large wardrobe at your disposal. Win-win!

You’ll Be Able to Earn Some Money

Once your
sewing skills have reached an appropriate level, and you’ve become quite
experienced, you can start accepting customer requests and become a craftapreneur.

It’s up to
you to decide what kind of work you’ll be doing – small and fast adjustments and repairs or serious projects like
creating an entire dress or suit. Either way, the money amount you could be
earning this way is pretty nice, and it could fill up your pockets decently.

You’ll Become More Organized, More Patient, Diligent and Passionate

Sewing
requires proper preparation and organization in order to go smoothly, and if
you rush it or do it without much thought, you’ll probably end up making a big
mess out of everything.

In other
words, picking up sewing as a hobby will help you improve your patience and
diligence without even noticing it.

You’ll Be Able to Relax and Enjoy the Creative Activity

We all have
something that stresses us out or angers us sometimes, and keeping those
emotions bottled up could cause some serious damage. Retirement gives us the
gift of time, but that is also a curse in disguise because having too much free
time puts more focus on our problems or aches.

Thus, it
becomes very important to find an activity that will help you relax and erase
all bad thoughts from your mind.

Sewing helps
you convert that negative energy into productivity and feel much better
afterwards. Once you create something from scratch, there’s no room for
anything other than pride and a sense of accomplishment in your heart. This is
why sewing is so enjoyable and relaxing.

Armed with
those five reasons to learn sewing, we hope you’ll consider this hobby, and who
knows – maybe turn it into a business! 

Let’s Have a Conversation:

What was your
last sewing project? How long ago was that? Would you have interest to pick up
sewing again after 60? Why or why not? What type of project would you attempt
to do first? Please share with the community and let’s have a discussion!

If you purchase an independently reviewed product or service through a link on our website, STYLECASTER may receive an affiliate commission.

If you haven’t already spent all your money on Black Friday, Ulta Beauty’s Cyber Monday 2022 deals are worth a second—and third—look. There are so many new sales to be had on makeup, haircare, skincare, body products and fragrance. Chic gift sets are on sale, too, so you can pick up a present for everyone on your list at a major discount.

There’s so much to choose from, we’re giving you the rundown on the best of the best deals during this Holiday Beauty Blitz. Weekly deals are popping up until December 24 with up to half off Tarte, Revlon, Kristin Ess Hair and so much more. This is actually one of Ulta Beauty‘s biggest sales of the year so mark your iCal for the sales you don’t want to miss.

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Old people are boring – truth or myth?

While you can split hairs and say, “it
depends on the individual,” it’s certainly a broadly accepted stereotype that
old people lead boring lives.

Stuck in Our Habits

Why? Basically, humans tend to fall
into a serious habit of doing the same thing repeatedly. You could even say
that a part of us is designed to be
boring.

Here’s what I mean. It’s a natural
instinct for us to not spend our
energy making conscious active decisions throughout the day. In fact, we make
about 35,000 decisions per day on autopilot. They take place
in our basal ganglia instead of the prefrontal cortex.

The reason is, we were built to
reserve our energy for fight-or-flight mode to survive in the wild. What’s more,
we’re designed to procrastinate to avoid any stressors in life.

The glaring problem? We’re not living
out in the wild anymore (most of us anyway, particularly if you’re reading this
article from your computer).

So, if our species is designed to
reserve energy and procrastinate on those adventurous plans you dream about, imagine
doing that for decades. Put another way, the longer you repeat your boring
habits the more stuck you become in those habits.

And when you’re stuck in a habit of
doing the same thing repeatedly (for decades), you’re more susceptible to other
outcomes that make you even more boring.

That’s right. Like not having anything
new or interesting to say.

Confined by Comfort

When you stay within the cozy walls
for your comfort zone, you don’t have anything new to talk about. Your
experiences and stories remain the same and you end up lacking something
stimulating to add to a conversation.

Which leads to that classic stereotype
of “old people repeat themselves.” Pretty boring on the receiving end, right?

What’s more is, your brain craves new experiences. To create new
neural pathways (which you can do until the day you die), you need new
experiences. Your neuroplasticity and cognitive health depend
on it.

Another side effect of being stuck in
rut is you become accustomed to your own opinions – and only your own opinions. You limit what your mind is exposed to,
which is also another way to not have anything interesting to say. Who wants to
hear your same opinion over and over again?

Boring Doesn’t Pertain ONLY to Older People

Not to worry, though. These
characteristics aren’t applicable to all seniors, and are, largely,
misconceptions spread by culture.

The truth
is: You can be boring at any age.

In fact, a study by Airbnb claims that women reach a
“peak boring” age at 35 (for men it’s 39). Supposedly, age 35 is when women are
least likely to do things like stay out late on a weekday, try a new hobby,
make a new friend, or book a spontaneous trip.

If you’re a woman in your 60s, and ready to make the most of your golden years, these activities are exactly what you should be doing if you want to live your ideal exciting and purposeful retirement lifestyle.

The problem? Here’s where culture
comes in. Culture trains you to be more sedentary as you age and pushes you to
fear the aging process altogether.

Take, for example, the sheer amount of
TV seniors watch per week – a staggering 47 hours and 13 minutes for people aged 65+. Not to
mention all the anti-aging messages broadcasted on TV.

Basically, culture trains you to stay
boring – which also means further procrastinating on your biggest dreams and
continuing to reserve your energy by living on autopilot.

Who Is Most Susceptible to Being Boring?

If you take a look at the root cause
of boredom, professor John Eastwood and team conducted a study out of York University in Canada that revealed there
are two very different personality types that suffer from boredom:

People Who Are Mentally Impulsive

The first group includes the mentally impulsive,
those who are chronically under-stimulated and always looking for new
experiences but don’t think the world is exciting enough.

People Who Are Afraid to Step Out of Their Comfort Zone

The second group consists of those who
aren’t satisfied with being comfortable, yet they’re chronically bored because
they’re too afraid to try something new.

For seniors, culture pushes you into
the second category. But, there’s good news – you don’t have to stay in that
category.

You Can Beat Boredom and Culture

Here’s what
you can do: Simply get out of your comfort zone.

In other words, seek new experiences.
Learn something new. Immerse yourself in new activities. Meet new people. Be
open-minded.

There are so many benefits to creating new growth experiences for yourself,
including:

• It’s
  good for building neuroplasticity and maintaining your cognitive health.
• It’s
  exciting and gets you out of a rut.
• It
  increases your chance of meeting new people.
• It’s
  good for your mental and emotional health.
• You’re
  more likely to find something fulfilling and purposeful by challenging yourself.
• You’re
  less judgmental.

The gist of it is: The good stuff –
including not being boring – happens
outside of your comfort zone. So, stop procrastinating and claim your place!
You might just excite others in your social group to do the same.

Let’s Have a Conversation:

What can you do (big or small) to step
out of your comfort zone? What autopilot routine or habit can you break to
create a growth experience for yourself? Please share your thoughts with our
community!

Lisa Barlow’s Blue Cat Eye Sunglasses and Yellow Denim Jacket in San Diego

Real Housewives of Salt Lake City Season 3 Episode 7 Fashion

Lisa Barlow’s light yellow denim jacket on last night’s episode of The Real Housewives of Salt Lake City was the perfect pick for sunny San Diego. And while she may have witnessed some major drama, at least her blue cat eye sunglasses helped create the illusion of clear skies. 

Fashionably,

Faryn

Click Here to Shop Her Gucci Sunglasses

Click Here to Shop Her Ganni Jacket on Sale

Click Here to Shop Her Bottega Veneta Bag

Originally posted at: Lisa Barlow’s Blue Cat Eye Sunglasses and Yellow Denim Jacket

I believe that first dates are meant
to be light and airy as you spend time getting to know someone. Most women in
their 50s and 60s don’t realize they have choices they didn’t have in their 20s
as to how a man can fit in their life.

Men can be your lover, your friend, your
boyfriend, your companion, your friend with benefits, your husband, or nothing.
You get to decide.

These choices give you the luxury of
taking some time to discover a man’s personality without having to quickly
assess him by using what I call The Dating Resume Questions.

These are questions that you fire
off one after the other like: How many kids do you have? What do you do? What
type of relationship are you looking for? How many times have you been married?

Questions like these make a man feel
like he’s on an interview, and they put you both on edge as you try to make
decisions before a cup of coffee is finished.

Now that you understand you have choice on your side, try using these 5 soft questions to find out more about a man’s life. These questions can be far more revealing, and they can make your date far more fun and interesting as you spark good conversations that help create a connection between the two of you.

5 Things to Ask on a First Date in Your 50s

What’s
Your Favorite TV Show?

With so much to watch on Netflix and
Amazon Prime, asking about their favorite TV show can create hours of good conversation.

Do You Have a Pet?

If
you have a pet, you want someone who will appreciate your baby, and that’s why
this question is a good one for weeding out men who are allergic to animals or
don’t like cats or dogs – or reptiles!

Are You a Morning
Person or a Night Owl?

You
should also find out your time preference compatibility, especially for the times
you are on vacation. You don’t want to be looking at a romantic moon by
yourself every night on the balcony of a cruise ship because he’s gone to bed
at 9 p.m.

Where Were You for
This Significant Event?

Significant
events make an impact on our lives, and we can usually remember where we were
when they happened.

Examples
of these are: Where were you when you heard President Kennedy had been shot? Or
where were you when you first heard the Beatles? Or what was your favorite band
at Woodstock? Looking back, would you have gone? Sharing history can create a
strong connection.

What’s Your
Favorite Restaurant?

Sharing
your restaurant favorites is a great set up for future dates. He’ll have an
idea where you like to go, so he can be successful at planning a future date. This
question will also reveal whether your food tastes are compatible. If you’re a
vegan and he’s a major meat eater, this could be a problem.

5 Questions You Don’t Want to Ask a Man On a First Date

What Are Your
Political Views?

In
the past, I would have said absolutely don’t bring up politics on a first date.
But, in today’s very divided world, I think it’s important to get an idea of
where someone stands on issues that are important to you.

Now
that being said, it should not be the first thing you ask about. Sometimes, as
you get to know someone, you’re better able to tolerate differences than you
are on a first date. If this topic is a deal breaker for you, then mention it
in your profile.

Where Do You See Us
Going?

Ok,
so you like the guy and maybe he likes you, but you want to remember you’re on
a date not in a relationship. You come across as super needy and desperate when
you breach the “future” topic on the first date.

Why Did Your Last
Relationship End?

Of
course you’re curious about the guy’s previous relationship, but unless he brings
it up, leave this question for when you really get to know him. It may have
been a bad breakup, and bringing it up before he is ready to share can really
sour a 1^st date.

Do You Have a Retirement
Fund?

I
know you want to get some idea as to whether a man can support himself, but asking
after his finances should be left for when you’re ready to explore creating a
relationship. As you get to know him, note where he takes you. It will give you
an idea about his lifestyle.

Do You Own Your
House or Rent?

As
with the previous question, you may be trying to assess if a man is financially
sound but now’s not the time.

The
only purpose of a first date is to have fun meeting someone new and interesting
so you can decide if you want a second date if he asks. Let the conversation
flow with questions that connect you. This is what creates an attraction and
can lead to the long term relationship you’re looking for.

Let’s Have a Conversation:

What questions do you usually ask on a first
date? What questions do you get asked? Which topics tend to sour the mood? When
do you have the most fun on a first date? Please share your experiences with
our community!