Hot News

Backyard Paradise: 5 Ways to Make Your Garden More Relaxing

Published on July 28th, 2014 | by Kristie Brown

Nothing comes close to heading home after a long day, kicking your shoes off, and grabbing a nice drink. Sitting outdoors with the fresh air blowing is a great way to let go of all the stress from work.

Living a fast-paced life can be overly stressful; a nice garden can create plenty of good vibes to ward off the stress. Here are some of the ways to transform your garden into your very own serene haven:

Put in a Water Feature

The sight and sound of trickling water has a relaxing element to it. You can build a water feature, like a pond, a pool, or a sprinkler in your very own backyard. However, this can be a difficult task. A good tip is to hire landscape gardeners to help you professionally build your very own piece of relaxing outdoor feature.

Install a Classic Hammock

Put those big trees in your backyard to good use. String up a hammock between the trees. When you come home from work, that nice hammock will have you making a beeline for your garden. If you do not have trees in the backyard, you can find hammocks for sale that can come with their own stands, or just build your own stand.

Take Inspiration from Zen Gardens

The traditional Japanese gardens are symbols of serenity. In a zen garden, the raked stone represents water and the stones represent the mountains. To achieve this look, you just need some gravel, rocks, a rake, and a spare patch. Planting bamboo or placing a nice statue can also make the surrounding even more relaxing.

Create a Reading Nook

Reading a book under the shade is one of life’s greatest pleasures. If one of your most relaxing escapes is one that involves a good book, place a reading nook in your garden. One that is tucked away is even more enjoying—just put a comfortable bench beside hanging vintage shutters.

Place a Poolside Lounge

If you have a pool, get rid of all the common plastic deck furniture, and replace them with something more chic. Place a Moroccan tea table and linen-backed chairs. The shade of an oversized umbrella can also give your garden an airy feel.

When all the stress is dragging you down, a nice relaxing garden can be your sanctuary—just try to slow down and enjoy the calmness in your garden paradise.

Hot News

3 Ways to Use Grey in the Bathroom

Published on July 26th, 2014 | by Kristie Brown

Grey is the hot colour today; no longer associated with dreary days and a gloomy outlook. It’s the new must have essential that is modern yet timeless and classic. It seems like the perfect chameleon as grey suits about every room, every setting, and every mood.

Many homeowners love grey for its versatility. You can go light or dark, cool or warm, and paint it with any other colour. Let this article help you achieve that beautiful grey-hued bathroom.

Break up the walls from ceiling

Add instant elegance to your bathroom with medium grey walls. It’s a great choice for showing off the white-painted ceiling because of the contrast it provides. If you want grey walls and grey floor tiles to go with frameless shower screens, Perth home experts recommend choosing tiles of different shapes and sizes. Glass shower screens are a great way to make your bathroom look modern, while grey paint can make it more spacious.

Use solid colour to get attention

Use a dark colour to create a focal point, such as on the vanity, to make the grey wall or tiles stand out. You can paint it lime green, purple, or orange. Keep in mind that when working with a bold colour, you can use them sparingly around the room. If you want to use them in a larger area, balance the strength with neutral materials. Your vanity will really stand out when you keep the walls and ceiling light-hued.

Mix warm and cool shades

You can still go grey if you want something softer and lighter. It’s one of the few colours that’s pleasing to the eye no matter how dark or light you go. Just make sure that when you are combining colours, one colour plays the lead and the other a supporting role.

Many homeowners are often excited to use more colour in their bathrooms. When the time comes to make a decision at the paint store, however, many fall back to the comfort of neutrals. As colour is one of the easiest ways to personalise a space, it is worth taking the plunge.

Modern Study

Web Design is Harder and Easier than it Looks

Published on July 25th, 2014 | by Edna Peterson

Designing a website is a relatively easy thing to do. Just put up some graphics, easy to read articles, a few animations and the website comes to life. On the other hand, it is very easy to mess it up, as well. For every professionally done website, there are a thousand horrible homemade sites.

Education is Overrated

What’s the difference? For many people, education and training is the biggest factor in defining the quality of a website. While experience plays a large part in website design, there are ways to replicate those results without spending four years at a website design school. After all, the pioneers of the industry such as the team at Digital Cherry did not have anyone to teach them, and they still built the foundations of website design.

Budding designers will need proper instruction to access all the potential a website can become. But, there are a few tips they can apply right now to keep them from looking like rank amateurs, and even attract some attention.

It Can’t Be Unseen

First, the initial goal of a website is to attract attention. Do not go overboard, however. A website that has anything and everything will not impress anyone.

The thing is, the human eye can only take so much stimulation at a time. Glitter graphics, slide panels, explosion animations are all great options, but never go well together. Too much activity on the visual front is a distracting eyesore, and ultimately, does nothing for the user. In addition, too much activity slows the site down, resulting in a very bad user experience.

Go Here, Now Go Here

It is better to pull back on the visuals, but do not strip it bare. Some designers like to implement their artistic vision onto their work, which is good. It is bad, however, when the art interferes with the functionality of the website.

The website is a portal through which people on the Internet can view products, services, or even the quote of the day. If users cannot get to the parts they came to find on the website, why even have a website in the first place? A good design gives users a clear direction of where to go and what to do. How are they supposed to know otherwise?

These are just a couple things designers can use to their benefit. They do not need a deep understanding of code and programming to implement. Still, they can greatly improve a website’s look and functionality.

Health Care

Seniors in a Bad Mood: Aging and Emotional Changes

Published on July 24th, 2014 | by Charles Corbin

People that were once funny, cheerful, and positive can become disgruntled and grumpy as they get older. For most seniors and the elderly, physical and emotional pain are often the causes of bad mood. Add the indignities that often come with age plus the many changes in their social lives and you’ve got a recipe for disaster.

Here are a few tips to help you deal with seniors in bad mood:

Bringing in Expert Care

Platinum Helathcare or senior care experts can help provide support and advice about senior mood swings and other topics. They can also help you coordinate care and medical treatment if your loved one is ill. Make sure to find a health care expert that you and your loved ones trust; this will help with communicating with an aging family member more effectively.

Talking and Listening Matter

Instead of focusing on the frailties of an aging loved one, it is best to value their hard won wisdom. Cheer them up simply by talking or listening to them. You can also encourage a senior parent to recall their youth or wonder years. You can also encourage younger children to talk to their grandparents.

Addressing Boredom

Boredom is a very common cause of grumpiness. Activities that used to make seniors happy are no longer enjoyable. Moreover, their body cannot keep up with the rigors of the games or sports they used to love. You can help elders stay engaged with the help of a pet. According to research, cats and dogs can prevent loneliness. If that’s not something you’re too keen on, you can also encourage them to join senior peer counselling and programs.

Considering the Inevitable

Caring for an aging loved one can be challenging. It is important to remember that you cannot control how a senior parent behaves, but you can always regulate your responses. Think about personal conflicts experienced in the past and consider how you can handle difficult things with your parents. It might be a test of patience, but remember that this is your parent you are dealing with.

Aging is a process of adjusting to continual changes. Provide support and assistance for your aging parents. Talk to them about the things they need and consider getting expert help to provide ample care.

Modern Study

4 Metal Fabrication Methods You Should Know By Now

Published on July 23rd, 2014 | by Edna Peterson

Those in the metalworking industry know that good metal fabrication is one of the secrets to safer and more efficient metal structure production. There are various fabrication methods, and, depending on the specific work requirements, one might be more ideal than the others. Determining which method is appropriate, however, can be confusing,especially for those who do not know much just yet.

While there are professionals who can do the work for you, it still pays to understand how fabrication is done. This can help you concentrate on the quality and integrity of the metal structure you are working on. The following provides a brief glimpse into some of the most common metal fabrication methods:

Galvanizing

Rust is metal’s worst enemy; you need to make sure that the steel or iron used has adequate protection against rust and similar damages. Galvanization is the answer to this dilemma, according to industry experts like Service Steel, echoing sentiments by the American Institute of Steel Construction. The process involves application of protective zinc coating, which can be done via the electrodeposition and electrochemical processes.

Stress Relieving

Heavy machining operations induce stress in metal parts. This can create distortions and cracks, which compromises the quality of the metalworking output. This is the reason stress relieving is necessary on machined parts, especially the bigger ones. According to experts, you need to subject the particular metal parts to a temperature of about 165 degrees Fahrenheit. This removes about 90% of the internal stresses of the parts.

Abrasive Blasting

It is important to smoothen the surface of any metal parts for a more efficient operation. Industrialists typically do abrasive blasting. Apart from making the surface smooth, blasting also helps shape the part and removes surface contaminants. There are several kinds of abrasive blasting, which includes sand blasting and shotblasting.

Bending

Lastly, one of the most common fabrication methods you need to do is metal bending. This involves deforming a part on one of its axes and stressing it beyond yield strength. For good measure, you should work with seasoned metal benders to ensure the quality of your metal.

Metalworking is both a science and an art. You need to be precise when it comes to your method to create intricate designs. With a good grip of the various metalworking fabrication methods, you can experiment further and try producing complex metal structures.

Hot News

Look Up: Is Your Attic Worth Remodelling for a Kid’s Playroom?

Published on July 23rd, 2014 | by Kristie Brown

Ever wonder how to make your dark, dusty attic more functional? You can transform this untapped area into that playroom your kids are longing for. As your kids grow up, they need some extra space for fun and games.

Perhaps your kids need an extra place to use the computer, study, or just hang out on their own. Whatever it is, a playroom in the attic can give them privacy and a sense of their own space. Remodelling the space comes with a few challenges, though. Let this article help you turn your attic into a playroom.

Evaluate the light

You may need to add windows or skylights to let natural light in and some fresh air. Don’t forget to take care of the position of the window and the possibility of its opening. If you have an attic with big windows, it is likely to catch the best sunlight.

Calculate the headroom

Home experts from Lilly & Lolly recommend measuring the headroom before buying or arranging the kids’ furniture. Consider adding one or two dormers as they resolve height shortcomings and boost usable space. The small additions that raise the roof over a certain portion of the attic also create the feeling of living in treetops.

Mind your step

Check if the existing stairway is safe for the kids. It may require modification to give them easy access to the room. If you are planning to enlarge an existing stairway or add a new one, keep in mind that it will affect the spaces below. A straight-run stair or a switchback layout is a good option. Just make sure a staircase will not eat up too much space.

Clean out the cobwebs and start bringing your attic to life. These tips will help you figure out whether it’s a good candidate for remodelling.

Hot News

Valuable Lessons that You Can Learn From Divorce

Published on July 22nd, 2014 | by Kristie Brown

Divorce is an incredibly painful event, and it’s not something you can recover from easily. But it is up to you whether you will turn the experience into a period of self-discovery, or a cycle of anger and depression. While you can’t turn back time and fix the mistakes of the past, you can look forward and use the divorce as a path to a new and better life.

BartonResnicoffLaw.com says that divorce is an emotionally draining and stressful ordeal. While true, there are also many valuable lessons that it teaches you as well. If you learn from them, you will be rewarded with a happier future, and you will become a better person.

Lesson 1: Your value does not depend on how someone else sees you

Your worth is not determined by what your partner or anyone else thinks about you. This is a necessary lesson you need to learn if you want to move forward, otherwise you will be stuck forever thinking that you are somehow inadequate, or that the divorce was your fault. Mistakes were made by both sides, but they certainly don’t control who you are as a person.

Lesson 2: Everyone needs support

Divorce can teach you to be more emphatic towards people. When you go through an ordeal like divorce, you understand just how valuable a kind word, a compassionate hug, or even just an attentive ear can be to someone. It’s not uncommon for people to come out of divorce as more caring and sympathetic individuals.

Lesson 3: Loved ones can disappoint, but other people will surprise

Perhaps the most devastating part about divorce is the disappointment. Your relationship, which the two of you spent years building, is torn apart. This can lead you to doubt if anyone or anything in the world can truly be trusted. But you will often be surprised at how kind some people can be. Friends, or even complete strangers, will reach out and show you overwhelming love and support in your time of need. When you feel you’re on your own, the world usually proves you otherwise.

Car Area

3 Factors that Trigger Automotive Rust

Published on July 21st, 2014 | by Maureen Thomas

More than 90 percent of the exteriors of a car are made of metal. It is usually more prone to rust as it is exposed to hazards. Steel can endure with proper protection, but once it loses fortification, it will be exposed to different elements that may trigger the formation of rust.

If you notice even a little sign of corrosion, consulting Signature Detailing and other car servicing companies would be a good start; don’t resort to using improvised measures. Professional hands can provide assistance in preventing the rust from spreading, and tearing your exterior apart eventually.

Here are some common factors that cause rust:

Climate Condition

Cars are inclined to corrode because these are mostly made of metal; it only takes an anode, cathode, and electrolyte to develop rust. Rust usually forms when metals are exposed to too much oxygen and water or air moisture. If you are living in a place with humid climate, always check your cars as rust can invade the exteriors even if it is covered.

Old Age

Even with extensive protection measures, you will eventually find rust somewhere in your old cars at some point during its life. Nothing can outlast time, but with proper sustenance, you can prolong the existence of your cars. Rust is just one of the many symptoms you can’t avoid in aging vehicles.

Location or Region

Salt and sand are usually spread along the streets during winter to provide more traction and prevent melted snow from refreezing. Road salt is just one of the many elements than causes rust in the cars. Cars driven around places near the coast tend to get damaged more than those rolled in the city streets due to road salt. Untreated or unprotected metals are prone to rust, attacked without remorse. Even places with warm climate such as arid regions can expose cars to corrosion.

Every problem develops because of negligence. Failing to tend the needs of your cars will render it defenseless from harm caused by rust. You can avoid corrosion by cleaning and protecting your car regularly.

Business Guide

Obvious Signs That You Need An Assistant

Published on July 15th, 2014 | by Toby Jones

Have you ever experienced working for long hours, yet feel like the business is not progressing at all? Business documents just keep on piling up on your desk, and you have tons on your overdue tasks tab. This is your wake up call, a sign that you already need an assistant.

Managing your own business is a task fraught with uncertainty, but you have to keep moving. To be sensitive to the needs of your company, here are several signs that you already need an assistant:

1. You are losing money.

If your business becomes unstable after years of operations, perhaps it is the time to outsource additional workforce. Do not let a temporary problem turn into a long-term one. 365virtualassistant.com discusses virtual assistance price lists can be the deciding factor on whether you need to outsource human resources or not. Make sure to weigh your current financial standing. Reconnect with your business partners and consult the top executives of your company. With this, you can find solutions to increase your sales while making way for a new assistant.

2. You can’t take on more business because you’ve been a one-man show for quite a long time.

A demanding element when it comes to administrative processes is that you have to be open to new opportunities. It is a sign that you need an assistant when you start turning down calls, business propositions and new partnerships. The development of your company is hampered by your current issues and because you are already worn-out being a one-man show for quite a long time.

3. You are constantly dragging on short-term projects.

You already know that you need an assistant when you have forgotten the path to a long-term business. You have been too busy preparing documents and business propositions, when you should be exploring new business ventures and opportunities. It would be difficult to squeeze out some creative juices to produce a game-changing product when you are too engrossed with all the documents on your desk.

Benefit from the cost-effective solutions and streamlined services of a virtual assistant. Don’t wait until your email inbox crashes with requests and business documents while you are losing prospective partners and clients. The changes brought about by the presence of the Internet are at hand so put them to good use.

Info Hub

WAWF Training and Registration: What You Need to Know

Published on July 14th, 2014 | by Denise Smith

The Department of Defense (DoD) works with thousands of businesses and suppliers to ensure it has enough raw materials, weapons, and equipment to maintain its military superiority. Dealing with numerous suppliers, however, isn’t easy. The department has said in the past that the process poses a challenge when it comes to supply chain management.

To solve this challenge, the DoD issued a mandate in 2005 requiring all of its suppliers to mark their goods and products with Radio Frequency identification (RFID) tags. RFID helps the department eliminate duplicate orders, replaces manual procedures, and reduces shrinkage. Companies doing business with the DoD will also need to submit invoices via Wide Area Workflow (WAWF) to enable the department to track and keep a record of orders easily.

Understanding WAWF

Wide Area Workflow (WAWF) is a convenient and secure web-based solution for electronic receipt, invoicing, and acceptance. WAWF has significant benefits for both the DoD and government vendors. The application allows vendors to submit and track invoices, receipts, and acceptance documents directly over the Internet. It enables the DoD to process these documents in real-time, in a paperless environment.

If you’re a supplier working with the DoD or are interested in becoming one, you need to understand the process behind WAWF, which you’ll only achieve with WAWF application training.

The Benefits and Scope

The WAWF might seem complex and overwhelming at first, but with WAWF training, you can make the most of the application. The training will help you handle the system better, from tracking invoices, to submitting documents, to accessing important information. You’ll learn about the proper use of the system’s interface and the monitoring of all your transaction details.

During the training session, you’ll be introduced to a brief overview of WAWF, including its history, metrics, mandates, and relevant policies and guidelines.

Registration Instructions

After the training, you can proceed to register to use the DoD’s WAWF system. Establish a personal account with the System for Award Management (SAM). Afterward, verify your electronic business point of contact (EB POC). Add your CAGE Code—the five character ID number issued to you— to the WAWF Group Structure and create an organizational email address. Designate a group administrator for your company, set up your computers, and begin entering invoices for your contracts.

Your company needs to undergo training and follow the proper registration procedures to ensure full compliance with the DoD’s RFID and WAWF mandates.