So you need to show something is good in your LaTeX document, and want a tick (or a cross)? The pifont package gives you access to ZapfDingbats, which has lots of neat characters as shown in the documentation (along with dinglists and other nifty features).
So, after \usepackage{pifont} a quick \newcommand{\tick}{\ding{52}} gives you \tick for all your ticking needs!
The MarvoSym package also has some Winding type things, like laundry instructions (?).
file this under the "easy when you know how but otherwise takes you at least half an hour" category...