Monthly Archives: November 2012

Time To Hibernate? Choosing a Bed

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When autumn and winter come it always feels like a good idea to hibernate. Unfortunately, having to pay the bills stop us from staying in bed with some trashy TV and some magazines.

Out of all of the furniture we buy the bed is the most important. Not only do you spend most of your life in your bed, one-third of your life to be exact, but a good night’s sleep is one of the most important things to start off your day. It is recommended that you change your bed every ten years so if you are going to pick out a new bed follow some of our top tips.

How to choose a good bed.

The only way to really choose a bed is to lie on it. Prodding it with your fingers or sitting on the edge won’t help. A bed is a matter of preference but some things will hold true. You do not want a mattress that is too hard or too soft. If you cannot slip your hand into the small of your back, then the mattress is too soft.

Mattress

When picking a mattress there are a number of options to go for. These include firm, soft or one with personalised support. You will have your own preference when it comes to beds, whether it be millbrook beds or some other make or type.

Headboard

Headboard come in many shapes and sizes. Choose one that really suits your personality but make sure you won’t get sick of it.

Another thing to remember when buying a bed is that you could buy one with storage. Under the bed storage is a great place to put all of that clutter you can’t find a place for, or your clothes.

In conclusion: make sure you have a good search before you buy your bed. It is an investment that will be in your life for about a decade. It is also worth spending as much money as you can afford on your new bed. A bad bed will give cause back problems and a lack of sleep. So spend well and spend wisely.

What do you think?

Top Handmade Gift Ideas For Your Loved One This Christmas

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With Christmas now only a matter of weeks away, it’s time to finally get started on the mammoth task of the Christmas shopping – time to traipse through every single store on the high street and attempt to tick off every item on your wish-lists as quickly and as easy, as physically possible.

All-in-all, everyone in your family is pretty easy to buy for; the kids know exactly what they want, your mum has given you a strict set of instructions and your dad is happy with any item that’s either a book or a CD. Sorted, right? Not quite. Because there’s one last person you need to buy for; lovely other half. And, you have absolutely no clue what to get them.

If I’m talking to all of you females out there, you know that no book, CD, aftershave or even stylish jumper is going to solve your problem, after all, you’ve already bought him hundreds of these. And, if I’m talking to you boyfriends out there, well, you’re guaranteed to get the jewellery wrong and flowers don’t quite cut it for Christmas. You’re in dire need of some help.

Well, it’s time to get creative. Because, if you’re dab hand at being  creative, then making your own Christmas presents is the perfect way to surprise your loved one this year. As well as helping to cut down the cost of Christmas, they’ll also add a bit of sentiment to your gifts that no shop could ever provide.

So, grab any craft materials you get your hands on and take a little inspiration for some of the ideas below:

For Him : An iPad Cover:

So, you may wonder how on earth you’re going to tackle making an iPad case for your man, but believe me when I say that it’s actually relatively simple.

All you need is a bit of felt, cotton lining material, some wadding, a needle and thread, some Velcro.

Method:

1. Cut out rectangles measuring 11¼in (28.5cm) x 16½ in (42cm) from the felt, cotton and wadding. Layer the wadding, felt and cotton (right side down), lining up edges.
2. Machine-sew (or, if you don’t have a sewing machine, use your needle and thread!) the three layers together with a ¼in seam, leaving one short edge. Clip corners and turn right side out by sliding your thumbs between the felt and the cotton.
3. Press and turn in the raw edges by ½in and sew a ¼in seam on outside.
4. Then using any leftover felt, cut out a small piece measuring 9in (23cm) x 6in (15.5cm). You can use a contrasting to colour to make it look more professional.
5. Fold this small piece of felt in half lengthways and sew a 1/4in seam all the way around, leaving one short edge.
6. Turn this small sewn piece right side out, turn in raw edges, sew a ¼in seam on outside and press. Pin and sew to outside of felt cover, 4in (10cm) in from one short edge.
7. Pin one side of Velcro to end of tab and sew in place. Fold cover in half and bring tab from back to front to work out where other piece of Velcro should be. Sew to body of cover.
8. Blanket-stitch top and bottom edges of cover together using embroidery thread.

And there you have it, a lovingly made iPad case that he’s bound to use everyday!

For Her: Customised Photo Frame: 

Right guys, some of you may prefer to just go and buy your other half a present from the shop, because in your mind, it’s ten times easier to do. But, making a present for your loved one really will surprise them and add a whole new meaning to the gift you give to them.

So, if you’re not the creative type but fancy doing something different for your loved one, making a customised photo frame  is the perfect thing to do – us girls love all of this kind of sentimental stuff, so it’s guaranteed to put a smile on her face.

I bet if you take a look around your home, you’ll have plenty of materials kicking around that’ll be perfect your customising your photo frame with; from buttons, ribbon, patterned paper, glue, glitter and marker pens are good places to start. If not, you can always invest a few bits and bobs from craft shops, such as craft supplies uk, to help you on your way.

Simply start by buying a plain wooden frame. Then gather up all of the items you’ve managed to find (or those you’ve bought from the craft shop) and simply decorate it in anyway you like. Spread on some glue and dust it with glitter, cut out material hearts and stick them around the frame, or simply write them a little love note around the wooden edge. Then all that’s left to do is find your favourite picture of you both, maybe change the colour settings on the computer to make it a little bit different (sepia or greyscale are always a good option), press print and place it in the back. Perfect!

 

New Year, New You – Part 2: Kicking The Habit

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In my previous article, I wrote about starting the New Year with a New You – touching on ways to change your job, your wage and your home, if 2012 hadn’t quite been the most of exciting of years in these areas for you personally.

And, by continuing on with this theme, I decided that as we approached the final month of 2012, there was no better time to touch on changing another huge aspect of your life; kicking that habit.  Yes, that’s right, I’m talking about the habit of smoking.

I’m sure you were all aware of ‘Stoptober’ campaign that went on last month, encouraging smokers in Britain to give up the habit for 28 days. It was hard to ignore, and I’m sure it got you thinking – you know you should give up, but actually doing it and sticking to it is something you’re not sure can be achieved realistically.

Well, if you’re currently addicted to the habit, but would love to ditch it for the start of 2013, then the following advice may put you in good stead:

Tell Everyone:

Often, if you tell yourself your going to stop smoking, although you know you’ve got to in your head, actually doing it is a completely different thing. Why? Because, if you’ve only tried to convince yourself that you’re going to quit, if you fail at your attempts, you’re only letting yourself down and you only have yourself to tell off – so, giving up is an easy option.

However, if you tell people around you that you are going to quit and you are going to stick to it, you’ll have them to deal with when you fall at the first hurdle. No-one likes to be the first one to drop out, and no-one likes to be known as a quitter, so when they start saying “Ah, we know you couldn’t do it”, you may find yourself wanting to prove them wrong.

Also, the more people who are likely to know about you wanting to quit, the more likely people will stop you from returning back to the habit when they see you starting to spark up.

Try A New Method: E-Cigarettes

You’ve tried every method going; from the patches, the chewing gum, to even going cold turkey, but somehow you’ve failed miserably at all.  As well as missing that little naughty nicotine habit, you’ve also noticed that the void that’s left between your fingers is another habit you’ve been left trying to fight. You miss the habit of holding one. Well, this is where the relatively new invention of stop-smoking techniques may be able to help you; E-Cigarettes.

You’ve vaguely heard about them, but you have no clue how they actually work. E-Cigarettes, available from stores like E Cig Wizard, are electric inhalers that vaporize a nicotine-infused liquid solution into an aerosol mist, to simulate the act of cigarette smoking. So, rather than being another method that doesn’t quite come naturally to you, it both works like a real cigarette and can be held just like a real one, too. They’re quite simply the perfect solution if you’re looking to start taking those all-important steps to kicking the habit completely.

Shock Tactics:

We’ve all seen the television adverts and the shocking pictures put on the back of cigarette packets, but somehow these shock tactics just don’t have any effect on making you pack in the habit. Why? Probably, because they’re not personal to you.

As you think about giving in from giving up, take time to think about your health as well as those people around you who you love dearly, who are really important to you and those who could be affected by the consequences of your habit. Suddenly, the shock tactics become more real now they’re related to your own life.

Are the long-term affects of that little stick of tobacco really worth more than them? No. So, kick the habit now and get started on the journey for a new you for the New Year.

Improve the Workflow of any Business by Improving Organisation by Matt Rawlings

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When you’re looking to take a business of any genre to the next level, the main stumbling block is quite often the level of organisation. It can be absolute chaos in some industries with paperwork here, there and everywhere, products being shipped all over the world, employees at various different company locations, the list could go on and on.

As a result, keeping your staff not only in order but in a positive mood to ensure that productivity is at its highest can be difficult; but nowhere near as difficult as keeping productivity and efficiency to the standards desired by those paying for your goods and services. This is where technology can come in handy.

Let’s look at an example that might not immediately spring to mind when you think of computerized organisation – the construction industry. You could have a head office on one side of the UK, in Newcastle for instance, and you could have a project in progress in Taunton, the complete opposite end of the country.

Communication between the two locations is simple – you can just ring from the site to the office – but paperwork needs to be signed off at the end of each stage of the process, and when it has to be mailed from one location to the other this can take days, even longer, slowing the whole construction process down, decreasing productivity.

If the company were to install some form of documentation controlling software, they could store all of the papers in one central location on a computer and provide access for all relevant parties, whether it’s those in the head office, those at the site, or the company they’re building for – allowing them to monitor progress and make sure that the deadline will be met.

As with any business, the more organised a company can be, the more efficient the essential processes can become, helping you to take your business to the next level in terms of productivity, customer service and also reducing the stress levels of those involved!

Matt Rawlings

New Year, New You

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2012 is gradually coming to a close; we’re nearly in December and judging by the songs now being played on the radio, Christmas is officially just around the corner.

For many of us, the final few weeks of the year signify a time of reflection. We often reflect on the year gone by and the events that have occurred, and weigh up the things we wish we’d done, what maybe we wish we’d achieved and also perhaps the things we wish hadn’t of happened. And, it’s through these that we make resolutions for the next year, in order to try and make it our best year yet.

Usually when it comes to new years resolutions, things like ‘I must try and eat less chocolate’, ‘I must try to be more on time’, and ‘I must try harder to think about what I say before I say it’ often top the list. And, although these could help to make 2013 your best year yet, there are a few bigger aspects of your life that you wish you could change; starting with your job and your home.

If this is you and you’re struggling for a little inspiration on how to do this, here are some suggestions that could help to make your 2013 truly amazing:

Your Job

There’s one thing about 2012 that sticks out more than anything else when you think about what you’d most like to change; your job. As you’re reflecting on your last year, you’ve realized that maybe 2012 hasn’t exactly been the best year when it comes to your career.

So, with 2013 just around the corner, it’s time to take some action.

Take some time to really think about what you would love to do – don’t be afraid of considering a whole new career change. After all, it’s not uncommon to have just got stuck in your current 9-5 job and want to explore something new.

The end of an old year is the perfect time to take a look on local jobs boards. By searching by your location, you’ll get a comprehensive list of jobs in your area in seconds. So, your new career is just around the corner!

Your Wage

If you love your job, but there’s one thing you’d love to change for 2013 in order to make it that little bit more perfect, it’d most definitely be the pay.

We’ve all been there; we’ve worked hard, you’ve been a member of the team for several years now, and so it’s only natural that you you feel like you’re a little deserving of a pay rise. But, there’s one problem; you have no clue to go about getting one for the New Year.

If this is you, the first thing to do is to evaluate the financial position of your employer in relation to the timing of your pay rise request. Given that it’s close to a brand new year, it’s common for companies to review their employee’s progress. So, if you’ve worked hard and you know your company’s financial position is looking up, it may be the perfect time to take the plunge and ask. But, if it’s the opposite, then it may be a better idea to wait until you’re firmly in the New Year before you put in your request.

Your Home

As you’re sitting in your home reflecting on 2012, you’re also maybe starting to realize that your home is also the result of you feeling uninspired and un-satisfied with certain aspect of your life.

As you’ve lived in it for years, you’ve become pretty comfortable with your home and it’s surroundings. And, it’s probably due to this that you’ve not made any effort to decorate, furnish or do it up.

Wouldn’t it be great if you could start 2012 with a beautiful new home, in fresh new surroundings? But, given the current economic climate and the situation of the housing market, this prospect feels totally unrealistic.

Well, if this you and you’d love a new start in a new home for 2013, you could part exchange your home. Part exchanging is the perfect way to move into a brand new home, quick and easily, with zero hassle. It ensures that you get both a guaranteed buyer and a guaranteed house to move into, as well as make sure you don’t run into broken property chains along the way. And if you’re worried about the whole money issue, part exchanges also offer the best value for money. It makes sure you avoid expensive estate agent fees and you can move knowing you’ve been offered the best possible price for your old home. So, your dream for a better 2013 can be closer to becoming a reality.

Once Upon a Christmas By Sarah Morgan | Book Review

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Once Upon a Christmas By Sarah Morgan

Bryony’s daughter, Lizzie, wants a dad for Christmas and she’s determined to fulfil this Christmas wish. But when every date ends in disaster, Bryony fears she’ll need a Christmas miracle. Lizzie is trying to find love but her friend Helen is doing the opposite, trying to forget the white dress hanging in her wardrobe and her faithless rat of a fiancee. These are the two different stories in this enjoyable book.

Two of the characters in this book, Bryony and Jack, work as doctors and Sarah Morgan obviously knows what she is talking about. I found the medical facts in this book incredibly interesting. I also loved the character of Lizzie. Bryony’s daughter.

This book is split into two stories but with some of the same characters in each. Each one is a fun read. This is a very enjoyable book. A good way to spend a relaxing Sunday.

Once Upon a Christmas (Mills & Boon Special Releases)

Hiras Fashion’s Bespoke Tailoring: Individually Fitted and Personalized to Perfection

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Individually fitted and personalized to perfection is a mantra that Hiras Fashion has taken seriously.

For almost 60 years, the art of bespoke tailoring has been perfected and celebrated by the masters themselves. And to this day, Hiras continues to thrive and reinvent itself in the age of technology-driven economies and fast fashion.

You will get a chance to meet one of the master tailors, Chand Hira, in Hiras Fashion’s London trunk show from November 26th to December 12th, 2012 at the Waterloo Studio, Park Plaza Hotel, 200 Westminster Bridge Road.

Headquartered in Hong Kong, Hiras aims to maintain its global reach with its bimonthly visits to over 100 cities worldwide including Australia, Belgium, Canada, Denmark, Germany, Ireland, Luxemburg, Finland, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Sweden, Switzerland, United Kingdom, and United States.

The finest bespoke suits, shirts, sports jackets, trousers, waistcoats, blazers, tuxedos, and topcoats are individually hand cut and stitched by hand for almost 40 hours in its Hong Kong workshop.

For its collection, Hiras only uses the best fabrics from Dormeuil, Wain Sheill, Scabal, Loro Piana, Holland and Sherry and Ermenegildo Zegna. It should be noted that the shirt fabrics are imported from Italy while the suit fabrics are mostly imported from Italy and the UK.

With its own style guide and over 3,000 fabrics to choose from, you will never run out of ideas for your custom made suit – and your inputs matter.

Hiras prides itself in fostering long-term relationships with its clients and ensures their active participation when creating their preferred bespoke garment. From the style, design, color, and fabric in the selection process – your preferences are welcome and necessary to complete your bespoke experience.

The launch of its online shop makes purchasing custom made clothing even easier in the comfort of your own home, office, or wherever you happen to be. Customizing your page and viewing thousands of fabrics in detail are just a few perks entitled to you once you register your account online. In addition, Hiras will reward you with a special discount upon checkout.

Whatever the occasion calls for, Hiras delivers great form and style with impeccably fitted custom made clothing for everyone.

They say suits make the man.

Hiras creates the suits and transforms the man into a stylish gentleman of sartorial fashion.

Shop online now or book an appointment at info@hiras.com

For more information, visit Hiras Fashion at www.hiras.com or call (+852) 2366 9700

Kiss Me Under the Mistletoe By Fiona Harper | Book Review

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Kiss Me Under the Mistletoe is a well written and fun book. Single mum Louise Thornton divorces her philandering movie star husband and buys an old movie stars house. Louise wants to escape the paparazzi and her vacuous former life as a trophy celebrities wife.

Louise is a great character. She has become hardened thanks to her life as a movie stars wife, believing that everyone wants something from her. She has built a barrier around herself but will she manage to grow and let love in?

I read this book at quite a fast pace. It is very readable and flows well. A fun way to spend an afternoon.

Is a second chance at love the best Christmas gift of all? Single Mum Louise Thornton’s waved goodbye to the red carpet and escaped for Christmas in the country. But she can’t avoid the mistletoe…

Kiss Me Under the Mistletoe (Mills & Boon Special Releases)