Jul 31, 2013

How to Accessorise in the Garden

With the summer well and truly upon us, it’s worth thinking about the many ways in which you can add accessories to your garden; this means using traditional accessories like planters, while also experimenting with different types of furniture. Taking a pro-active approach to your garden accessories can make it easier to enjoy meals and barbecues outdoors, and can also allow you to maintain garden items that can be used throughout the year.

Depending on the size of your garden, you can focus on general decoration and adding some unique features. In terms of decoration and practicality, it’s worth looking at different pots and planters for various parts of your garden; these can be minimalist or painted in bright colours, and can be made from eco friendly fibreglass and ceramic materials. Window boxes and hanging baskets can similarly be found in designs that can be repeated throughout your garden.

It’s also a good idea to invest in high quality garden furniture and accessories. If you want to sit out in the garden throughout the year, all weather items that can stand up to cold and rain are a good idea; folding wooden chairs and tables can, by comparison, be best for the summer, and especially if you need to pack away furniture. Hammocks can be useful to pick up if you want to doze in your garden during warm weather, and can be doubled up as a sleeping option for a conservatory.

Lighting accessories can make for a great design option if you want to create the right mood for your garden. Spotlights can be used to illuminate a particular seating area or collection of flowers and plants, while a pond can be fitted out with underwater lighting. Deck lighting can be an excellent idea if you want to keep pathways clear, while larger lamps with motion sensors can be run during the year for night-time use of your garden.

Some other accessories that you might want to consider for your garden include recycled items like tyres, which can be used as planters, or hung from trees for children to use. Moreover, ingenious accessories can be found that can allow you to adjust the shade in your garden by remote control; parasolar accessories can, for example, involve a parasol that absorbs sun during the day to provide light in the evening.

When deciding on the right accessories for your garden, always weigh up their cost against the amount of space that you have. It’s also important to take out new insurance policies if your home content insurance doesn’t apply to outdoor items. Starting with a base of high quality plants and pots can help you to decide on whether you want to add in some statement furniture or lighting fixtures to your garden, while having decent storage in your garden or conservatory can give you different design options to play around with.

Author Bio : Lisa jane is a blogger with interests in interior design, gardening, and DIY. She recommends using flora select if you want to pick up high quality planters and pots for your garden.

Home Decorations for A Work At Home Office

womenandperspectives.com -This article covers the ways you can decorate a home office to make it conducive to working. There are ideas about furniture that fits in your home and is comfortable to work in, as well as accessories and ddcor that look good and are also functional.

Working at home is becoming more common for more people, especially those that are self employed. Having a well designed home office is an important part of working productively from home, as there are generally far more distractions that there are in an office.

Keep It Separate


Having a separate space as an office is a vital part of working from home if you are going to be productive. Even if the space is just a desk in a corner of an existing room you still need to create a separate space and have a desk and chair that are comfortable and make you get down to work. There is no need to have the latest executive office furniture if you don't have the space, although your desk and chair should be designed so that they are comfortable for you to sit in all day long. If you are using the corner of a room as an office then try a partition of some sort to split the office section off and make a separate working area.

Choose Your Colours

Decorate your office space in colours that you like, or choose the ones that make you feel calm such as cool greens and mellow yellows. Use a style that is different from the rest of your house as you will create a feeling of separation and allow you to split work from play. Keep your working space clutter free and organised; add trays or drawers to keep everything organised and put up a planner or pin board to display information that you need, or use a white board for a to do list that can be easily updated. Make sure your home office is well lit and you have a heater for the cold days and fresh air if it is hot, either from a window or from air conditioning. You will work best in a comfortable environment that you are happy in.

Working from home is a flexible way to work and can be very satisfying as long as you organise your time well. Be sure to take regular scheduled breaks that mean you won't always be delaying working and set yourself deadlines so that you have a good reason to get down to it each day. A comfortable chair and desk are vital to avoid aches and pains and good lighting will stop your eyes from getting strained. The most important part of a home office is that it is a separate space that you can go to for work; as long as you achieve this you will have success working from home.

AUTHOR BIO

Peter Smith is an interior designer who works from home on a regular basis. He loves designing a home office that is both comfortable to work in and fits with a home style of ddcor. He feels that the contrast between the latest executive office furniture and a more homely style can look really great when it is done properly.

Jul 30, 2013

Red Spot in a Cafe


Brick wall and red chairs. Captured at a coffee cafe nearby. The cafe sells only Indonesian coffee.

Companies Make New Efforts to Target Female Demographic

Companies like Hooters and the NFL understand the value of revamping their marketing strategies to women. As Time.com discovered, Hooters now serves salads, and various NFL teams sell earrings and female-related merchandise for their fans. These companies understand that the old days of hawking products solely to men are over, as a Greenfield Online report verifies. That report found that women now make roughly 85 percent of all consumer purchases and influence the purchasing of over 95 percent of all goods and services.


But don‘t think that merely posting a few pictures of women on your website or hiring a female employee in your sales department will get the job done. You need to think like a woman and pay attention to her interests, personality and persona. Trendsight reports that Jiffy Lube has mastered this tip. The company knows that women juggle multiple responsibilities and roles, so they’ve placed Wi-Fi and TVs in every waiting room. Women can get more done as they wait, and you can use this tip too as you offer Wi-Fi in your showroom and include advice and tips on your website that help women maximize their time and make their lives easier.

Be Online


The majority of online users are women, according to Inc.com. They use the Web to find bargains on discount Michelin tires, compare prices on laptop computers and research relationship advice. If your business isn’t online, you’re missing out on a huge marketing opportunity. Once you get online, follow advice from Mashable.com and be accessible and relevant.

Be Relevant


Start with a relevant website that’s filled with information about your company and products. Even better, include a store that allows women to buy your products. Remember, women are busy, and they won’t stick around if they can’t find what they want quickly and easily. Be relevant and allow women to complete research and buy the products they need with a touch of a button.

Be Sociable


Then, add a blog, write a monthly newsletter and post regularly to social media outlets like Twitter or Facebook. Women are relational and will share content they like with their friends and family. Always make sure your content is engaging, entertaining and sharable. Quality and fresh content increases your chances of gaining the visibility you want and need, while dry, boring content will be quickly forgotten and left behind in the midst of all the quality Web traffic.

Be Accessible


Finally, place the customer service or contact button in a prominent spot on your website and on all of your social media pages. Women like to ask questions, and they want to connect personally with someone. Make it easier for her to find the answers she needs so that she doesn’t take her business elsewhere. Women will use this button to learn more, ask more and buy more.


By now, you realize that your marketing tactics can’t ignore women. The female demographic forms the backbone of the purchasing economy, and you need them. With this fact in mind, which marketing tip will your company employ as you reach out to women?

Author's Bio : Linda Burman was a VP of a major marketing firm by the age of 25. Since then she has wound down and focused on raising a family and environmentalism. Freelancing is one of her many hobbies.

Busy Schedule: Where to Make Time for a Beauty Routine?

Modern lifestyles dictate that we are a society that has way too much going on in our lives all the time, we are over scheduled, over budget, always frantic and don’t have any time for our friends and family let alone ourselves. So how did we become last on the list and how do we deal with an era of limited time and how do we become a priority when it comes to looking after ourselves and our bodies? Well that is a question that is certainly not easy, because with hectic work schedules, family commitments and time spent commuting during the day, even brushing your teeth is something that starts becoming hard to fit in.

image:pixabay.com/en/time-clock-head-woman-face-view-1739629

Making Time
It’s that simple – where there is not time, you actually have to physically make time and schedule it in as you would a dentist or hairdresser appointment. Having a system in place where your grooming schedule becomes part of your everyday routine is the only way it’s going to work. Trying to fit anything else into an already jam packed schedule is nothing short of impossible, then before you know it hasn’t made the list for months. Looking after yourself and your body should be a priority, as much as eating right, doing exercise and looking after your health is.

When your health and looking after your body are a priority – you feel great, look great and will have enough energy to get through the demands of the day. Putting pressure on your body, looking haggard and feeling haggard are going to have the opposite effect entirely.

Booking Appointments
You may not have the self-discipline to take time for yourself when you are too busy running around and looking out for everyone else and before you know it, you only get to the hairdresser twice a year – Easter and Christmas and you still have the remnants of nail polish on your toes from the Christmas before.

As a good rule of thumb, make sure that you have booked another appointment with your hairdresser, beautician or stylist before you walk out the door. Once you have that appointment in place you will find that you will work around it rather than put it off for months. And if you are in a corporate job or any position where you need to be well groomed, you actually can’t afford to walk around with split ends, faded hair colour or unsightly grey regrowth when you are dealing with your colleagues and clients.

If you don’t have time to do the beauty stuff yourself at home, you can be sure that you will have at least done something for your skin if you schedule regular appointments with the beautician once a month for facials and other skin care.

Easy does it
Choose an easy range of products to use on your skin – you don’t need to do 45 minutes of cleansing and toning twice a day to get the benefits you need. Find a skin care range that is simple, easy to use and good for your skin. And never ever skimp on the sunscreen even in winter – it’s the overcast days that do the most damage.

Find a day cream that has a built in UV factor and this way you will not overload your skin and you only have to use one product instead of two. Make sure you always pay special attention to your hands and your neck when applying a sunscreen as these are the first places that you will see signs of ageing.

Double Up
If you go to the gym regularly – make sure that you have another set of face products that can stay in your gym bag; this will mean that you save time and the hassle of forgetting your products in the shower at home and end up having to use the gym soap on your face which is right up there with washing up liquid.

Pack in an extra shampoo and conditioner – ask your stylist for their travel size options from the salon, this way you won’t have to lug around huge bottles where ever you go.

Moisturize
Use a good quality moisturizer on your skin and body that is absorbed quickly – you don’t’ have time to hang around while you try and get that sticky feeling off your skin or wait for your skin to ‘’dry’’ after application. Use a heavier lotion in winter as your skin tends to dry out a lot more.

Drink Water
Drinking water is one of your best time savers when it comes to your beauty regime – keeping your skin and your body looking good from the inside out starts with what you eat and drink. No use spending a fortune on clearing a problem skin and spending hours exfoliating and moisturising and then downing a beer followed by a cheese burger and a slice of pizza. Drink plenty of water throughout the day – it will flush toxins from your skin and from your system so you won’t need to manage the symptoms of a problem skin anymore.

Eat Well
Your skin and your hair and the condition they are in are less attributed to the brand of products that you use and highlight the condition of your lifestyle and your menu choices. If you eat well – choosing foods that are ingredients and not made up of ingredients – it will have a direct impact in the quality of your skin, hair and nails – not to mention your weight.

Eat plenty of vegetables, include fruit and eat lean protein – your body will thank you for that and reward you with a glowing complexion, shiny hair and strong nails that won’t need much of a beauty routine to maintain. Make time for yourself every morning and every evening – it might be the only time you really have to yourself in the day –a quiet moment of reflection that will help you to prepare for the busy, hectic day ahead.

Bio:
Hi! I'm Nellie and currently work as a lecturer in programming and accounting. I'm always eager to find out something new and become familiar with it. I love to deal with researches and want to develop in the field of writing. Moreover, I started moving in this direction! I work as a writer for Homework-Desk.com, which arranges everything in the way every java assignment becomes clear. If you have any questions concerning education, I'm always ready to help. Here are my contacts: FB (https://www.facebook.com/nellie.aldridge.3) and G+ (https://plus.google.com/u/3/100898603848701478113/posts).

Great Ways to Help You Promote Your New Business



Not many new companies begin life with a big marketing budget. This article looks at how new businesses can promote their product and company name inexpensively.

Today's consumers are always looking for a high quality product that won't break the bank balance. When starting a new company it is important to get your name 'out there' as quickly and professionally as possible without digging a big hole in your first year's finances.

Here we take a look at some inexpensive options to promote your new business. Whether you choose a website or leaflet printing UK markets are there for the taking:

1.      Website

A web presence is a must have for all new businesses. Not only should the product name be catchy but the website address needs to be easy to remember and easy to spell too. A well placed website on Google can attract thousands of potential customers and make them aware of your product suite. There are many professional web designers who offer website creation services or you can try yourself on many of the free website creation sites that are continually popping up. For your site to appear on the first page of search results on search engines then include some useful key words. There are also many companies available that can help you promote your website once it has been created and help it climb up the search results rankings so your website always appears near the top of the list.

2.      Leaflets

Having leaflets printed can be a very inexpensive way of advertising your product, company and website as long as you are happy to deliver the leaflets to as many potential customers as you can. Why not rope in family members and friends to help you and always leave a leaflet offering your services in public places that you visit.

3.      Business Cards

Every new company needs a business card with contact details for yourself. Always include your name, phone number, email address and website address where possible. Consumers have their own preferences in how they prefer to contact people so give them as many choices as possible.

4.      Reviews

Sign your company up to a professional review website and ask each consumer you sell your product to or provide your services to leave an honest review of what it was like to deal with you and your company. Many new consumers will only deal with companies that have positive reviews from other consumers.

5.      Public Advertisements

Promoting your business on the sides telephone boxes can also be a great way of promoting your company and product. Hundreds of people walk by public telephone boxes each day that carry advertisements for companies and their products and latest offers. Radio and TV advertisements can be expensive but can ensure maximum exposure for your company name.

More and more new companies are appearing in the UK in a market that demands high quality products, good customer service while only spending the absolute minimum amount possible. There is no reason why your new business cannot be successful if you are prepared to put in the legwork first to establish it amongst the consumer market.

AUTHOR BIO:

Article written by Peter Smith, a freelance writer who writes regularly on business related issues. He recommends the marketing ideas mentioned above. If you are looking for all types of leaflet printing uk then alocalprinter is the right choice for you.

Jul 27, 2013

Yellow Allamanda Flowers





My husband captured these flowers for me. He saw them on the fence -near the entrance of a restaurant. Love their bright color!

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