erin

By Jeanette Shinn There is little in life that matches the wide eyed expectation of a young girl dreaming of that perfect bridal gown that transforms her into Cinderella making the grand entrance. In that dream the wedding dress is perfect and so is she. But in the real world where people are not shaped by an artists pencil finding the perfect bridal gown is sometimes more of a challenge than we would like. However, by understanding a few basic things about bridal gowns and the industry that supply them it is possible not only to navigate the gauntlet, but to find the wedding dress of your dreams. The bridal gown industry is, for the most part, a special order industry. Its goal is to provide you with a bridal gown that fits perfectly and compliments your individual body style. Because of this, if you are even thinking about buying a special ordered bridal gown, plan to finish your shopping for the wedding dress at least six months in advance of your wedding date. Doing so will help to reduce the chance that mistakes or shipping issues will leave you without a bridal gown when the day finally arrives. Likewise, look at pictures of bridal gowns in magazines and discover what you like, but consider your body type as well and use that knowledge to help you focus in on the type of dress that works on you. Talk to a wedding consultant and get the name of a good bridal wear shop in your area and go in for a fitting. A well trained consultant will help you to figure out what bridal gowns work on you and which ones dont. Furthermore give every bridal gown she recommends a try. Who hasnt had the experience of looking at an article of clothing on the rack and disliking it only to be talked into trying it on and ending up loving it? Your choice of a bridal gown should take into consideration what specifically you expect to be doing while you wear it. Are you going to wear the wedding dress all through the reception? If so, what activities can you reasonably expect to do? Are you going to dance? Is it reasonable that you will end up doing the Limbo while youre still wearing your wedding dress? Will your wedding ceremony require you to kneel? Youd better be sure the dress will allow you the flexibility to be involved without destroying your bridal gown. I mean who wants to kneel in front of the entire congregation only to hear the ominous sound a seam popping? When you do go shopping for that bridal gown, take your mother or a friend and go early in the day when you are fresh. But whatever you do, dont buy anything that first day even if you find the wedding dress of your dreams. Instead, go home and sleep on your decision. The bridal gown will have to be ordered anyway so one day isnt going to change anything and the time away just might protect you from making a wedding dress decision you will regret later. The one exception to this rule is for those who choose to purchase a used wedding gown at a charity fund raising event (such as the one that Making Memories Breast Cancer Foundation sponsors) or other first come, first served wedding dress sales event. Many of these events can offer you a great opportunity to get a designer bridal gown at a discount price but by their very nature you must have done all of your homework before the day of the sale if you hope to take full advantage of this opportunity. Finally, after youve found and ordered your wedding dress, when it finally comes in, go in to pick it up on a day that you are not rushed. Bring a friend along, preferably someone that is detail oriented, and take the time to carefully inspect your bridal gown before you pay the balance. Try it on; make sure that the wedding dress really does fit like it is supposed to. Check the seams and the look of the fabric and if you find any problems have the shop make sure the problem is remedied. In this way you will insure that the bridal gown that you ordered is the one that you get. Remember, the bridal gown business is a special order business, and in a special order business accepting and paying for the bridal gown often constitutes approval. Jeanette Shinn is the co-owner of Your Exciting Wedding Favors http://www.ExcitingWeddingFavors.com a website dedicated to helping brides realize their wedding day dreams with tons of tips, ideas, and the latest wedding news stories from across the country, as well as offering wedding favors, and accessories to enhance the entire wedding experience. Jeanette is also the founder and edible design artist behind Layer By Layer, http://www.frostingonthecake.com, a special order bakery serving weddings and other special occasion needs of the Portland, Oregon metropolitan area. Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Jeanette_Shinn http://EzineArticles.com/?Turning-Bridal-Gown-Fantasy-into-Reality&id=162484 purchase zolpidem pharmacy stilnox side effects zolpidem online mexico buy zolpidem stilnox

By [http://ezinearticles.com/?expert=Jayson_Pablo]Jayson Pablo Motorola has been consistently performing at the top charts of mobile phone market around the world and it has been regarded as the highly successful mobile telephone company and also one of the first manufacturers of mobile phones. Talking about the more recent times where the concept of mobile phones have been totally changed and is much different than what it had been conceived. Nevertheless, Motorola has understood the demand of the changing trend and accordingly brought about the modifications in their handsets and they have also been received very well. Motorola has been instrumental in introducing the trend of slim phones in the recent times. We have seen the unprecedented success of Motorola V3i, MotoRAZR, MotoRIZR and now Moto ROKR. They all are amongst the high end Motorola phones that have managed to win the trust and the appreciation of the mobile phone users in its looks and its features as well. On the other hand, we have also seen the mid-ranged models like Motorola L6, L7, doing quite well in the market. This is because they look very sleek and also they have been equipped with almost all the features that one might look into while choosing a phone. Also doing very well in the market is a model called Motorola F3, which comprises of all the looks and no features, except telephony and it has also won a good response from the users Apart from these, some of the best phones like MotoRAZR Dolce and Gabbana, Motorola Pebble and many more have also been an all time favourite amongst the users. Thus, the journey of Motorola has been smooth and very progressive so far!! Xpert4u, one of the largest [http://www.xpert4u.co.uk/mobile/phones/Motorola_phone.asp]motorola mobile phones seller of UK buy latest motorola phones with best phone deals like [http://www.xpert4u.co.uk/mobile/phones/mobile_phone_deal.asp?Phone=Motorola--V3i]motorola v3i. Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Jayson_Pablo [http://ezinearticles.com/?Motorola-Mobile-Phones---A-Cut-Above-The-Others!&id=582455 ]http://EzineArticles.com/?Motorola-Mobile-Phones—A-Cut-Above-The-Others!&id=582455 online soma dreampharmaceuticals com florida internet pharmacies soma no prescription soma prescription cod carisoprodol carisoprodol online smtp ru online smtp ru site

By Rika Susan An exterior rolling shutter is not limited to acting as a sound barrier, sunblock, and security sentry. As an alternative to exterior wood shutters, these tough window treatments are designed to provide maximum home improvement value, combined with aesthetic attraction. Manufactured from either aluminum, or PVC, the rolling shutter offers a unique way to add practical curb appeal to your beloved family home. Investing in rolling shutter protection for your property increases energy efficiency, by limiting heat loss to a large extent. This money-saver also enables you to utilize your air-conditioning more effectively. During the hot months, roller shutters help to keep the heat where it belongs - outside. Some aluminum rolling shutters are robust enough to qualify for hurricane certification, thus offering reassuring storm protection. Another advantage of rolling shutter installation, is the superb light and glare control it features. Traffic rumblings, and other disturbances are kept at a distance, thanks to the noise blocking effect of a quality exterior rolling shutter. The insulation and noise-numbing characteristics of the rolling shutter, is the result of the double-walled aluminum outer layers, combined with a polyurethane foam filling. Some manufacturers use PVC, with a honeycomb inner structure, which has similar qualities. These materials contribute to the exterior roller shutter’s reputation for corrosion-resistant durability. The hood of the rolling shutter gives a neat finish, and hides the slats when not in use. When closed, the shutter locks into position, and is sturdy enough to deter would-be intruders. With a weather-resistant finish, your colorful rolling shutter will retain its smooth, bright appearance for many years. Rolling shutter operation allows for a choice between manual pull-strap, or crank action, and the convenience of multi-function motorized control. The roller shutter hood accommodates the roller tube that houses the motor. Various usage options are available, including a wall switch for interior operation of the roller shutter, a key switch for outside operation, or a remote control that opens and closes the shutter at the touch of a button. A master control can also be installed for operation of all the window shutters from one central point. This can be managed individually, or as a group. As with a retractable awning, modern technology allows for the inclusion of a sensor, that is activated by the sun or wind. A timer option leaves you free to set your preferences for a number of days in advance. One of the few drawbacks of this type of window cover is that rolling shutters are not easily available in special shapes, suitable for arched or angled windows. With exterior wooden shutters, this won’t be a concern. Compatibility to the architecture of your home, your interior design, and aspects such as the patio furniture and design, should all be taken into account when you make a decision about a rolling shutter installation. Awnings-and-Blinds.com - Read the FREE Exterior Wood Shutter article at Awnings-and-Blinds.com - also by Rika Susan of Article-Alert.com. Copyright of this article: 2006 Rika Susan. This article may be reprinted if the resource box and hyperlinks are left intact. Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Rika_Susan http://EzineArticles.com/?Rolling-Shutter—Robust-Window-Treatment-Rides-Out-The-Storms&id=249454 phentermine 37.5 no prescription overnight phentermine online sales phentermine 37.5 online buy phentermine on line without prescription

By Jim Deyo Do you have any idea how much your customers are actually worth to you? Do you know which ones you make money on and the financial impact of those that beat you up over price, service levels and “extras?” Or, do you say things like “we don’t have the time to figure that out,” - or, “we are different,” - or, “how would knowing that really help us” - etc, etc? What could be more relevant to any small business than having at least a basic understanding of customer profitability? Usually when a company looks honestly at its customers, the realization jumps off the page that you make a lot of money from some customers, you make less on another group, and you probably lose money on some. When you think in terms of the factors that drive this in your company, you can begin to take steps to make sure you retain the profitable ones and not spend too much of your time on the others. There are several ways to look at customer profitability, but one of the best is to think in terms of the lifetime value of an individual customer. Lifetime customer value (LCV) is the amount of profit that you will realize from an individual customer over the time that that customer does business with you. Focusing on LCV gets you two things. First, it measures the profitability of your customers, not just the revenue, and, because there can be a big difference in margin and costs between customers, the amount of money you make can be very different. Second, LCV focuses on your overall, long-term relationship with customers, not recent transactions, and over time some relationships have the potential to be a lot more valuable than others. The challenge, of course, is that when you start thinking about how to implement this concept, you quickly realize that it can be expensive and time consuming to collect the information you need to really impact your bottom line. But, what if you could get “80%” of the benefit of knowing the LCV of your customers for “20%” of the investment? Wouldn’t you be willing to spend a few hours and maybe do a little tracking and forecasting, if it would make you more profitable? Here are some things you can do. Start by creating a list of characteristics that describe both your ideal customers and your less than ideal customers. The objective is to identify both the quantifiable and the intangible factors that influence the profitability of an individual customer. For example, a long time customer, or a customer that makes multiple purchases, is better than a new one, for the obvious reason that it gives you a bigger revenue stream and the not so obvious reason that it doesn’t cost you as much to market, sell to, and service that customer. A customer that has been in business for awhile, or buys higher margin products, or refers other business to you, or who you can use as a reference is a lot more valuable to you than one who is always pushing you on price, or takes up a lot of your time, or who requires that you stock inventory that you otherwise wouldn’t, or who is just generally difficult to deal with. The more that you can quantify in describing these customers the better; but the intangibles are important, too, because there are hidden costs involved. Then divide customers into 3, or 4 revenue groups. You can refine this later, if you want to, but you need a starting point. One place to begin is some combination of number of purchases, average sale amount, or total sales per customer. Looking at number and dollars of sales splits your customer base either by revenue (dollars), or activity (number). These are two of the important things that drive profitability. Sometimes a better place to start, if you have the information, would be 3, or 4 divisions based on gross profit margin, or some other key profit driver. If you don’t know gross profit margin by customer, you could divide your customer base by number, or dollars of sales, look at the margin for a few representative customers in each group, and make some assumptions about the margin for the entire group. The value of an initial division by gross profit margin is that you have already made a big profitability distinction in grouping your customers. Finally, look at your expenses a little differently and break them into 4 categories. These 4 expense categories are cost of goods sold (the cost of making or buying the product you sell), sales and marketing (the cost to get and keep your customers), fulfillment (the cost to deliver your product to customers), and general and admin (everything else). A few assumptions have to be made here and in some cases you might have to split an expense between more than one of the four categories. But, once you’ve done this, you can look at your expenses in a different way - i.e. how they are affected by individual customer transactions. In restating expenses and matching them to the revenue groups, keep in mind several things that can meaningfully impact the profitability of any customer group and ultimately the total profit of your business. The number of customers in each group is important, because some of your expenses will be related to this. For example, shipping and handling is partly driven by the number of customers that you ship to. The number of new, versus repeat buyers is key, because you really don’t need to spread as much sales and marketing expense to the “old” customers as you are to the “new” ones. There may be costs related to a particular group for sales and marketing, or fulfillment. Fixed, versus variable costs are important, because you benefit from spreading fixed costs over as many customers as possible, while variable costs can rise or fall based on the number of customers that you service. And, finally, don’t neglect to consider time you and you staff have to spend servicing customers. Salary expenses are fixed in total (at least in the short term), but the amount of time that a customer demands can vary greatly and in that sense can be “hidden” costs as you look at the profitability of any customer. If you are so inclined, you can bring these assumptions together in a financial model that lets you forecast LCV with some precision. But, consider what you have learned already by taking these few steps. You’re recognizing in a more focused, analytical way, that not all customers are the same. You see more clearly that the amount of sales to a customer is not all that matters. The margin is a lot higher for some customers that for others. Your company’s expenses take on a different meaning, because they now generally reflect what it costs you to get, keep, and service your customers. You’re thinking in terms of some of the key factors that impact the profitability of any of your customers. If you stop here, you have spent a few hours of your time, but you still have benefited from understanding more about how much you might make, or lose, from different groups of customers. (There are two Business Management Tools on the Business Advisor Online site that will help you easily gain a financial perspective on the Lifetime Customer Value of your customers. The Simple Calculation LCV Model provides a high level calculation; it does not require you to have collected detailed customer information, but will still give you a reasonable LCV estimate. The Detailed Calculation LCV Model lets you include more information in the calculation and helps to estimate expenses in the four categories outlined in this weeks feature article.) About The Author: Jim Deyo is the President of Business Advisor Online, an internet based service that provides small businesses with the ideas they need to grow and the resources they require to make the right decisions. As a former Sr. Vice President with a major banking institution, Jim worked extensively with small and medium sized companies and has over 30 years experience in commercial and consumer lending, accounting, finance, marketing, and strategic planning. Visit the website at http://www.businessadvisoronline.com and sign up for a six week free trial of the service, or e-mail Jim at jimdeyo@businessadvisoronline.com. Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Jim_Deyo http://EzineArticles.com/?Its-Almost-Midnight!-Do-You-Know-Where-Your-Profitable-Customers-Are?&id=169965 purchase xanax without prescription find money order xanax buying 2mg xanax without prescription crossing the border to buy xanax

By Allison Nazarian If an iffy economy and a tight fist at the top are telling you that every dollar needs to work harder, not to worry. There are creative ways to stretch your marketing budget to reach a wider audience at lower cost, and theyre right at your fingertips. Be realistic. Make the most of your limited budget by thinking creatively. TV and radio ads, glossy brochures and flash-enabled websites can work magic making your marketing budget disappear in the wink of an eye. Instead, consider using low-budget, high creative marketing to get your message out. Lots of marketing tools like your website, e-newsletters and blogs can do a lot more than you may think. Do you really need a..(fill in the blank)?Brochures and the like are great ways to promote your business, but before you invest time and money, ask yourself and others some pointed questions. Lots of companies will tell you they have boxes of costly brochures gathering dust. Fact sheets are low-cost substitutes. You can print them as you need them, letting you update your capabilities, client list, changes in address or phone information. Increase your marketing impact by using multiple channels. The more you stretch your marketing dollars to reach your target market, the higher the impact of your marketing message. Prospects are much more likely to become buyers if they: Read about your company in the newspaper, Attend a seminar and take home a brochure and Visit your website. Target, target, target.Going after the right customer is essential. Target small niche markets and forget the mass market. If your target is brides-to-be, place your ad or flyer in local bridal shops, special fashion shows and targeted publications. Dont waste precious ad dollars by placing your message in mass publications. Are you newsworthy? A reference about your company in the media or from the right person will deliver your message at low or no cost. Even if you havent saved a puppy from drowning lately, doing a bit of pro-bono work will get you a positive mention. The mother of all referrals. Of course, the best and most cost-effective way to reach new customers is by referrals. A happy customer will get you further than just about anything, so the time spent encouraging and creating regular customer referrals will be well worth it many times over. About Get It In Writing, Inc: Since 2001, Get It In Writing, Inc. has been a leader in developing the messages, words and ideas of business-to-business (B2B) and business-to-consumer (B2C) communications. The firm, which has built a solid reputation as a trusted and indispensable resource for professionals in marketing, advertising, sales, graphic design, web development, public relations and branding, helps clients harness the power of words to communicate, sell, inform, educate and publicize. For information, free resources and/or to buy services online, visit http://www.GetItInWriting.biz Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Allison_Nazarian http://EzineArticles.com/?Big-time-Marketing-on-a-Small-time-Budget&id=328251 ranitidine canada online pharmacy meridia foradil cardizem best offer adipex meridia phentermine prescription buy meridia prescription sibutramine and prescription and doctor

By Livia Belmonte When it comes to discussing about beauty, the beauty of our skin occupies an important place. Basically, a bad skin, a skin with marks, signs, visible veins or other such elements can be unaesthetic and needs to be avoided, or, better said, needs to be prevented as much as possible. One of the most frequently met problems that are visible on the skin is represented by the spider veins. Even though some might associate spider veins with genetic reasons, the spider veins can be prevented. In any case, preventing the spider veins to appear is by far easier than treating them once they are visible on the face and body. But how can these spider veins be prevented? Are there reliable methods? Yes, there are. First of all, it must be said that a deficient lifestyle is the one that causes a wide range of medical and beauty problems. Unhealthy eating and lack of exercise can lead to various problems, not only skin-related problems. So, the first thing that needs to be done when wanting to stay away from spider veins is to exercise regularly and to maintain yourself active and dynamic, in order to have an optimal blood circulation, tone and strength. Furthermore, a balanced diet, mainly based on fibers and vitamins can help considerably when wanting to stay spider veins-free. Your diet should exclude salt as much as possible and it should include fruits and vegetables. Basically, the reason for a high fiber diet is to avoid constipation based on the fact that constipation leads to the formation of spider veins. Even though exercising is a great idea, making too much effort with your legs is not recommended. As a matter of fact, at the first signs of spider veins, you need to make sure you do not stand up for long periods of time - a good idea is to switch the weight from one leg to another. Still, at the same time, you need to avoid sitting down for long periods of time, since this leads to a bad circulation. Moreover, you should avoid crossing legs when sitting down, but make sure you are resting your legs sufficiently after greater efforts. Clothing is another important part when wanting to prevent spider veins. What you need to do is to wear natural fabrics as much as possible, to be comfortable at all times and to avoid the tight, uncomfortable, strengthening clothing all these needs to be done in order to have a good blood circulation. If you have spider veins on your face, the best idea is to stay away from the sun as much as possible you can opt for sun creams, hats and other such tricks in order to make sure you dont multiply your face spider veins. The best idea is to act ahead, meaning to take action at the first signs of spider veins, in order to prevent the occurrence of other spider veins. Good luck in maintaining your beauty! You need to be informed and prepared before opting for cosmetic and plastic surgery procedures. Learn what you must know, before you say: Do It!. Informative site http://cosmeticplasticsurgeons.com.au has the answers to various questions that you understandably have. Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Livia_Belmonte http://EzineArticles.com/?How-to-Prevent-Spider-Veins&id=433247 order ultram with no prescription california discount pharmacy tramadol nephro past hours active good order topics tramadol elenta exiled buy cheapest tramadol online

By Tisha Diaz Healthy eating and the general health of the population are concerns for many governments around the world. The National Health and Medical Research Council of Australia prescribes 10 dietary guidelines to help people design their usual diet so that it will promote a healthy lifestyle and will present a minimum risk for the development of diet related diseases. These guidelines are: 1. Eat a wide variety of different foods. A different variety of foods gives your body the necessary vitamins, minerals, and other nutrients that it needs to remain healthy. 2. Eat lots of whole grain breads and cereals, vegetables, and fruits. Your body needs the fiber, vitamins, and minerals that can only be obtained from these items in their natural state. 3. Ensure that your diet is low in saturated fat. Saturated fat increases your cholesterol levels and could lead to heart diseases and other ailments. 4. Balance food intake and physical activity to maintain a healthy body weight. Energy taken into your body in the form of food needs to be a burnt off in the form of exercise, otherwise your body transforms the food into fat. 5. Limit your intake if you drink alcohol. Alcohol does not give your body any useful nutrients; it suppresses your inhibitions and could lead to other well-documented problems as well. 6. Consume only moderate amounts of sugars, including foods that contain added sugar. Sugar contains a large amount of calories that can be very difficult to balance with physical activity, especially given the amount of sugars that we find in our modern day foods and candies. 7. Make low-salt foods your preference and use salt sparingly. Salt is known to increase blood pressure, which could lead to all kinds of cardiovascular and other diseases. 8. Encourage and support breast-feeding. For the first six months of an infant’s life natural breast feeding can provide the child with all the natural nutrients that it needs, provided that the mother is well-nourished. 9. Girls and women should eat more foods containing calcium. Women suffer greater risk from osteoporosis and must therefore increase their calcium intake to fight this terrible disease. 10. Girls, women, vegetarians, and athletes should eat more foods containing iron. The iron requirements of women and girls are almost doubled by menstrual losses. Iron deficiency in the diets of vegetarians and the increased demands put on the bodies of athletes also require them to increase their iron intake. Even though these 10 dietary guidelines were developed in Australia for Australians they are equally applicable to anybody else in any country of the world, and every single person will benefit by following them. Tisha Diaz recommends this fat loss and weight control program that will help you get rid of those excess pounds and reach or maintain a healthy body weight. Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Tisha_Diaz http://EzineArticles.com/?What-Are-the-Ten-Dietary-Guidelines-for-Australians?&id=506536 ambien online discount buy ambien where ambien online 2b no prescription 2b saturday delivery buying ambien online

By Todd Going Women trust pharmaceutical companies to protect their health when they choose birth control medications. However, when the Ortho Evra Transdermal Birth Control patch was linked to potentially deadly blood clots, this trust was shattered for nearly one million women across the country. When Ortho Evra was introduced into the market in 2001, it was hailed as a revolution in birth control that allowed women to manage their fertility without having to rely on a once daily pill or painful injection of hormones. Ortho Evra quickly climbed in popularity, and by 2006 nearly four million women have used the patch at some point. The Ortho Evra patch is applied directly to the skin of the hips, buttocks, or thigh, where it delivers estrogen over an extended period of time. Estrogen helps prevent ovulation, but the Ortho Evra patch delivers 60% more estrogen than the conventional pill. Heat from the body causes the patch to release a specific amount of the drug, but if transdermal patches have been known to fail and deliver too much of a drug too quickly, often with devastating consequences. Unfortunately, the Ortho Evra patch suffered from such a defect, and caused a number of women to suffer blood clot-related trauma. Although birth control pills have been known to contribute to the formation of blood clots, studies show that Ortho Evra triples the rates of these potentially fatal medical emergencies. The first fatal incident that could be directly attributed to the patch was a student in New York who collapsed on a subway station in 2005. Tests revealed a blood clot in her leg migrated into her lung, and likely caused a pulmonary embolism. Subsequent autopsies determined that the fatal clot was caused by the Ortho Evra Patch. Ortho Evra is frequently marketed as an equally safe alternative to the daily birth control pill, but more convenient as it only needs to be applied once a week. By the time the FDA discovered the dangers of the Ortho Evra Transdermal Birth Control Patch it had allegedly destroyed the lives of 17 women between 17 and 30 that suffered fatal heart attacks, blood clots and strokes. Lawyers representing the women injured or killed by the patch have pressed a dozen lawsuits against Ortho-McNeil Pharmaceutical, a subsidiary company of Johnson & Johnson. Ortho-McNeil has settled these cases for millions of dollars, and as of April 9, 2006, there are more that 100 more lawsuits still pending. To learn more about Ortho Evra birth control patch side effects and hiring an Ortho Evra lawyer, please visit our website at http://www.resource4orthoevrainfo.com/ This article may be freely reprinted as long as this resource box is included and all links stay intact as hyperlinks. Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Todd_Going http://EzineArticles.com/?Ortho-Evra-Lawsuit-and-Ortho-Evra-Birth-Control-Patch-Lawyers-for-Side-Effects&id=180791 buy phentermine in mexico phentermine without a prescription that ship to kentucky phentermine diet pills without a prescription phentermine online us

By Maddy Cranley Just when we have all learned to correctly pronounce Feng Shui, the Chinese art of appropriate placement of objects in our living spaces, along comes another ancient Oriental aesthetic philosophy, “wabi-sabi”. Seemingly destined to become as popular as Feng Shui, wabi-sabi addresses our relationship to all things that surround us, not just to their positioning in our living and working environments. Plainly stated, the basic tenets of wabi-sabi are simple is best, less is more. Leonard Koren in his book “Wabi-Sabi: for Artists, Designers, Poets and Philosophers (Stonebridge Press, 1995) describes it as a beauty ” of things imperfect, impermanent and incomplete, modest and humble and of things unconventional.” It is actually a difficult concept to describe. Once it is defined, thereby giving it a form, it loses the essence which makes it what it is. Wabi-sabi began in 14th century Japan as a reaction to the rich materials, brilliant colors and lavish ornamentation displayed by the Chinese culture. Today the popularity of wabi-sabi could be viewed as a response to our high tech world in which exactness and duplicaton are so prized that designer logos are worn front and center on clothing to identify it as being a perfect match to all others produced by that same designer. Something so exact and mass-produced is definitely not wabi-sabi. Natural and crafted objects are wabi-sabi because they so often display an individuality that cannot be duplicated. A handknit sweater would definitely qualify as wabi-sabi. Yes, many knitters may knit the same sweater from the exact same pattern instructions, even using an identical yarn, but each resulting sweater will likely have subtle differences. An individual knitter’s tension, which can sometimes vary from day to day, will certainly vary from knitter to knitter. Slubs and bumps even in the same brand of yarn will appear in different places in the garment and differences in needle-holding technique can sometimes be evident in the twist of the finished knitting. This is wabi-sabi. In contrast, a mass-produced knit sweater, created with the same computer-controlled machinery will guarantee that all the sweaters will look exactly alike - definitely not wabi-sabi. Wabi-sabi also prizes the dented and scratched, the bumpy and irregular, the weathered and worn. Perfection is sterile. Imperfection is beautiful. So here’s a different way to look at those dropped stitches that were recovered onto the needle, with that ever so slight a twist of the yarn, or at the variance in a dye lot that results in a line across your back that only you can see. It is these imperfections that give the sweater its unique beauty. The concept of wabi-sabi embraces the passage of time. The slightly felted but dearly loved old woollen sweater that you cannot part with and the knitted teddy bear, torn and ragged from a child’s love, all embody wabi-sabi. These characteristics suggest that the object has a history. No brand name or high price tag could change what these objects mean to the owner. It’s value is gauged on a very personal and private level. So take pride in your wabi-sabi knitting. Be proud of that noticeable slub in the yarn, the slightly stretchy neckline or the twisted picked-up stitch. You have seen a simple strand of yarn develop into a unique garment, one that stands alone and unmatched, but best of all prized by you - that’s wabi-sabi. Maddy Cranley 2006 Maddy Cranley is a professional knitwear designer, who has created exclusive designs for knitting and craft magazines, authored and published three books on the subject of knitting and felting, and produces an ever-expanding line of maddy laine and maddy baby handknitting patterns. For additional information, see http://www.maddycraft.com Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Maddy_Cranley http://EzineArticles.com/?Wabi-Sabi-Savvy&id=146377 generic pharmacys that sell valium fastest way to order valium online buy anax valium anax money order valium

By Kevin Stith The wedding date and time has been set, the location for the special event has been finalized, and the decision for the wedding theme traditional and formal or fun and casual has been made. Now its time to take the next step and create wedding invitations that reflect the celebration youve planned and provide the information needed for friends and family to have a pleasant experience as wedding guests. Wedding invitations are the first place your guests will actually get a sense of the wedding youve planned. Whether your budget allows for custom made invitations ranging from sophisticated to artistic or do-it-yourself creations, there are plenty of options to provide memorable wedding invitations. An exquisite array of invitations is available for those planning a formal or traditional wedding. Before you begin visually scanning all the possibilities, familiarize yourself with the language of printers and invitation designers. Understanding the various folds, tri-fold, z-fold, and French-fold, as well as terms such as embossing, thermography, deckle edge and die-cutting can save you time and money. For the adventurous, a variety of unique wedding invitations can be explored from the homespun feel of a custom portrait boxed with rose petals to CD/DVD presentations for the tech-savvy couple. Once youve selected the design for your wedding invitations, youll want to find creative wording to convey the sentiment of your relationship and wedding. Examining wedding invitation etiquette is a good place to begin for the appropriate wording of your invitations. Regardless of whether your wedding invitations are traditional or casual, you will want to include an RSVP/response card, and a reception card. Other options are also available to include in the mailing as a way to give your guests all the information needed to join in your special celebration. Wedding Invitations Info provides information on cheap, unique, and do-it-yourself wedding invitations, plus wedding shower invitations, and advice on wedding invitation wording. Wedding Invitations Info is the sister site of Wedding Favors Web. Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Kevin_Stith http://EzineArticles.com/?A-Guide-to-Wedding-Invitations&id=64159 discount tramadol online cheap tramadol online buy generic ultram buy discount tramadol online