So This Is Christmas

Merry Christmas is such an infectious feeling I like to feel that way all year around.

So if you are visiting just before Christmas, just after Christmas or even here on Christmas day I am sure you will find something of interest for you and in the spirit of Christmas.

It may be said that Christmas is no longer a celebration but this must be spoken by people that have never had trouble closing their eyes on Christmas Eve in an expectation of what maybe left for them on the carpet under the tree.

I continue to look forward to the surprise on my Grandchild's faces to this day at Christmas events.

Merry Christmas - Merry Christmas - Merry Christmas

Friday, December 19, 2008

Successful Marketing of Your Craft Business Online

By Ethan O. Tanner

There are many different ways to advertise your business on the World Wide Web. Just a few popular options for Internet marketing are Placing banner ads, orchestrating an email marketing campaign and tactfully mentioning your business on industry related forums and message boards.

One of the Best Internet marketing strategies involves creating and advertising a website to promote your business. You can use your website in a number of ways. Some of these ways include providing more information about your business and the products or services you offer, letting potential customers know how to reach you and even selling your products and services via the website.

One great advantage to using a website to market your business on the Internet is that you can place descriptions and photos of the products or services your business offers. This is important because many consumers use the Internet when researching products and services. Having an online presence gives your business an advantage over the competition because consumers are much more likely to select your products or services over the products and services offered by your competitors who do not advertise online.

A profitable advantage to marketing your business on a website is you can use the internet site to not only market but also sell your products immediately. Once more this can give you an edge over the direct competition. Consumers who use the Internet to research products and services are frequently very eager to make their purchases and they would be more prone to select a retailer or service providers who offer the opportunity to purchase products or services online over a retailer or service provider who just allows for purchase in a store or thru over the phone.

Still another advantage to using a website to market your business is the ability to reach a large, worldwide audience. The Internet essentially knows no boundaries and advertising on a website means the business owner can reach competitors around the world instead of being limited to their general location. Advertising via other medium such as television, radio and the print media is somewhat limited and may only reach potential customers in a relatively small geographic area.

Another benefit to using a website to market your business is the Internet is available 24 hours a day around the world. This essentially offers you a storefront which is open 24 hours a day, seven days a week. When your competitors may be limited to their regular business hours, your website will enable you to reach your customers at any hour of the day. This is particularly important for reaching potential customers in other time zones and for reaching customers in your own area who are simply too busy to shop for products or services like the ones you offer during regular business hours. Many potential clients work long hours and will take advantage of the ability to research and shop online after hours.

One other strategy to using a website to market your business is you can actually generate a profit from your website in other ways than through sales to customers. You can also use your website to generate income by selling advertising space to other business owners who are marketing their own products and services on the Internet.

Care should be taken when publicizing on your website. First of all you should not sell advertising space to direct competitors. The reason for this is because this may cause you to lose expected business if potential customers choose to purchase product or services from competitors who advertise on your website. An ideal advertiser is one who offers products and services which do not immediately compete with your own products or services but would be of interest to your potential customers. You should also be careful not to place too many advertisements on your website. This is important because too many advertisements may take away from your business and may cause you to lose potential customers. Follow these suggestions and your sales could increase by using a website to promote your business.

About the Author:

Diamond Solitaire Engagement Ring

By Alice Sy

Which would you prefer, simplicity or extravagance? There are some who chooses simplicity over extravagance but the reason really depends on the characteristics possessed by the thing we are comparing.

With regards to engagement rings, there are those who would choose simple ones while others will choose those with added embellishments. Diamond engagement rings are unique and elegant. There are also different types and styles of these rings. One of which is the solitaire diamond engagement ring.

A solitaire diamond engagement ring is a simple and classic design. It is unique in its own way and yet it is still very elegant with its single diamond ring setting. It is popular because of its clarity, thus, enhancing the beauty of anyone who wears it.

Just like any other engagement ring, this symbolizes a mans love to the woman he is planning to marry. They are very timeless and beautiful. They can come in different shapes and sizes. The choice will just depend on the one buying the item. It is his will to choose a design and size that he feels is fit for the woman he loves.

Aside from the size of the diamond stone you chose, its shape can make it more unique than the others. The most common cuts are round but there are also wide varieties you can choose from, like, oval, pear, marquise, emerald. These shapes elongate the diamond and make it appear larger than its actual size.

There are also the princess solitaire or square cut, pear or tear-drop shape, radiant shape and archer shape. While the heart-shape makes it eye-catching because of the shape.

Because of the fact that the solitaire diamond engagement ring has only one diamond and has a very simple setting, this means that it is cheaper than those other type of diamond rings. But the price can also vary because the stone has a higher and better quality and/or larger size.

There are many other styles that are getting more popular these days but many women still prefer the timeless and classic beauty of solitaire rings. Because for them this type not only symbolizes love but also of the life and hope that the couple will share for their future.

About the Author:

How To Find Unusual Christmas Yard Decoration

By Christine Bass-Pringle

If you are looking for the perfect Christmas light for house decorating this season you may want to consider the general style of your home before making a purchase. Christmas yard decorations come in all shapes and sizes and one may be a little better for your particular style home than another.

Many people like to keep holiday decorating simple and elegant. One of the hottest Christmas lights for house decoration is the spotlight. You can feature a great holiday door decoration with a clean, bright spotlight on the feature. This type of Christmas light for house decor is great for traditional homes.

Think about a traditional home in the colonial style complete with white siding and a magnificent, postcard-like red door. When you add a holiday wreath and a spotlight, you've created a wonderful, elegant holiday design that has all the traditional attraction of a holiday scene, with simplicity and appeal.

Another way to add dazzle and pizzazz to your exterior decorations: Think of putting a log cabin house with a Christmas light outside that will brighten a dark exterior as well as entertain passers-by. A spotlight will truly illuminate the scene and with larger flashing bulbs, and a dark exterior will come suddenly alive. Christmas yard decorating can be very elegant in this style, too.

Owners of cottage style homes might want to look into purchasing small twinkling lights. I have a small cottage house and I initially thought that perfect Christmas yard decorating would be big and flashy. So I purchased a bunch of holiday lights and I couldn't wait to see the display.

My hubby and I have been a bit overwhelmed by the outcome of our decorating efforts. We felt that our attempt at a display was quite a bit over the top. The decorations we decided on for the Christmas cottage outshone the house itself. The display, as a result, seemed to take over our little cottage. That was a bit disappointing.

We decided after that to cut down a little. We passed on investing in icicle lights and flashing bulbs, going instead with just a few strings of twinkle lights more suited to our little cottage. I personally adore the thought that we can add a ton of twinkles and splashes of flashing lights during the holiday season. It just turns out that with our front, something subtle was a lot easier on the eyes.

If you have a huge house that can hold up to big displays then the ideal Christmas yard decorations for your place would be bold. So we decided we might use up our extra holiday decorations in the back yard as well. Maybe they won't overwhelm so much if they are spread out a little bit.

About the Author:

Review about the Ultimate Shiatsu Massage Chair

By Steve Esquire

What is a shiatsu massage chair? Shiatsu massage is a specific type of massage therapy with its roots in Japan. Many massage chairs came from Japan and shiatsu is what Japanese are most familiar. So many massage chairs got labeled as shiatsu massage chairs. Now it seems everyone is using the shiatsu designation. We take a look at shiatsu massage and its origins which can then be used as a benchmark to determine which massage recliners would fit in this category.

To trace the origins of shiatsu massage, one has to go back to China. The Chinese healers found the use of acupuncture. These practice identified pressure points in the body that assisted to speed up healing and reduce pain. The Japanese took this basic art and developed acupressure points. By applying firm pressure in these pressure points, the energy of the body could be regulated. hey began to correlate certain pressure points with relief in different parts of the body which formed the basis of shiatsu massage therapy.

Traditional shiatsu massage incorporates both kneading with the thumbs and fingers and chopping action with the sides of the palms. Kneading was found to stretch out tight muslces making them more elastic. This help to restore flexibility and improve the range of motion. Chopping massage was found to invigorate an given area to enhance blood circulation. The chopping action helps to loosen tight muscles which then make it easier to perform the kneading massage. The use of pressure point massage helps the major organs relax while the kneading and chopping work on relaxing the muscles.

With this background in shiatsu massage therapy, we can now look at massage chair recliners that provide this type of techniques. Some of the premier massage chair brands like Panasonic, Omega and Sanyo have chairs that meet these parameters. Many of these chairs have sensors to detect your acupressure points. The software then adjusts the massage to target your individual pressure points. Some of the best massage chair recliners providing shiatsu massage therapy are presented here.

The Panasonic EP30004 Real Pro Ultra creates a virtual map of your back. It takes into consideration the curvature of your spine and shoulder height. This chair also comes with an ultra-fine kneading function called Junetsu. Junetsu uses small circular motions that reverberate to the bone to provide muscle invigoration and relaxation. These massage techniques are particularly effective for the whole back region. The Junetsu is a unique massage only incorporated in the Panasonic chair.

Sanyo has developed a shiatsu lower body massage therapy. The Sanyo system targets multiple pressure points in the leg and foot. The pressure points are applied firm pressure which helps relieve stress and enhance energy flow throughout the body. Additionally, the tactically placed air bags provide a comforting and thorough air compression massage.

The Montage Premier Massage chair by Omega delivers a penetrating and invigorating shiatsu massage. The Montage Premier has the best foot massage of the high end chairs. This chair has acupressure nodes that penetrate both the arch and the heel of the foot. It performs an alternating sequence which stimulates the major organs and induces full body tranquility and relaxation. Omega also incorporates an MP3 player to play your favorite music to keep your mind occupied on relaxing.

Now you are an expert in shiatsu massage therapy as applied to massage chairs. This is an important massage therapy used throughout the globe. If you are researching robotic chairs, then start with the best brands like Sanyo, Panasonic or Omega. These shiatsu massage chairs provide therapeutic massage and other therapies.

About the Author:

Tips On How To Teach Your Child How To Handle Money

By Alix Montoya

If you're running out of ideas on how to spend quality time with your children then you might be interested to know that spending time doesn't always mean a trip to the mall or anything special. It can be something that you can teach them like how to make use of their money properly. In fact, letting them join in and put their two cents in, literally and figuratively, on the family budget is a great way to make them feel more involved.

If you want your kids to appreciate money more, you can try to teach them how to save up. If you can convince your kids to save a portion of their allowance, say, in one week or one month, there are a lot of things that they can spend their money wisely on. They can also have more time to decide what they really want to buy with their saved up money and this makes them a better consumer.

You have to let your child see that saving up actually allows him or her to buy bigger things in the future. It lets them buy that game console they want for months now, or that expensive toy that they've been bugging you about every time you pass it by during a trip to the mall. Saving up money teaches them to be disciplined and patient and they will take this until they grow up.

You should also try to teach your kids about keeping a sound budget. This allows them to foresee things in the future that they might need some money for. It's always best to point out at an early age that sometimes there are things in life that we can't predict so it's always good to prepare for anything.

One good idea is to let them make some money on their own. If they are old enough, they can probably do simple jobs for the household or for the neighborhood. You can let them take up a paper distribution job or lawn mowing job every weekend. You can also suggest them to join in on crafting trade fairs and showcase their handiwork. If you're a hobbyist yourself, you can share the moment with your child.

There are a lot of things that we want our child to be and one of those things is to grow up as responsible adults who contribute to society. The good news is, you can actually start now while still learning to ride a bike.

About the Author:

The Dream Dollhouse Holds the Imagination of Every Little Girl

By Edie Mindell

Little girls do love their dolls. They love to play and dress them and take them places, as if they really were their mommies.

I have a daughter that first began her love affair, with a certain doll, when she was only 18 months old. The relationship was a bit rocky at first as my little mommy pulled her baby's hair and competed with the doll for bottle and binky use. Yet as the weeks passed the love my baby had for her baby grew to complete devotion.

She fondly named the baby doll Bah-Bah-Toe (don't ask, I don't know) and they have been inseparable now for several years. The cementing moments of the relationship occurred when Bah-Bah-Toe was given her own dollhouse. At first this was a humble dwelling that consisted of nothing more than a few cardboard boxes stacked and taped together.

At Christmas time that year, when my daughter was 2, the idea of getting her a brand new doll was down right blasphemous. Bah-Bah-Toe reigns supreme. One evening as my husband and I observed our little mommy lovingly reciting a story to her precious baby and tenderly tucking her into one of those cardboard rooms it struck us: Bah-Bah-Toe needs a real house.

Finding the perfect dollhouse for our daughter and her baby was not too difficult but was a decision that required some care. There are so many options out there. The first thing to consider is size. In our case the house needed to be able to inhabit the doll we already had. For those who may still need to populate the new residence the size concern is moot. Yet size is still an issue. Tall dollhouses pose a tipping threat and a climbing temptation for little ones. The last thing you want is the dollhouse to become memorable because of your child's King Kong impression and the ensuing trip to the ER.

Dollhouses that are overly intricate, ornate or small similarly don't work for toddlers. Those gorgeous Victorian ones are great, but a toddler will destroy it before the sun sets on Christmas day. Those with fine detail and small furnishings also pose a choking hazard. What a toddler needs is a dollhouse that isn't too big, and isn't too small. There are several varieties on the market that your daughter will be thrilled to call her own.

Many dollhouses come with just that: the house. Other brands come with a load of extras including play figures, furniture and clothing for the dolls. Price and your existing collection of accessories is a great way to decide what you need for your daughter's Christmas wishes to come true. If you have many dolls already, then a house by itself is probably the way to go. For those just beginning their doll collections, a house that comes with extras will have a higher price tag up front, but when you factor in the cost of buying extra pieces separately, it might be the better deal.

Our little mommy has grown so much we hardly recognize the 2 year old who squealed with delight as she tucked a baby named Bah-Bah-Toe into her new house for the first time. Yet she still loves that doll, and her dollhouse where her doll baby lives.

What joy she has gotten from those toys and what a great investment they have been in the growing of her imagination.

About the Author:

Car Insurance Reviewed

By Tom Martens

From the urban to the off-road, drivers can find suitable insurance coverage to meet their specific needs. Car insurers are constantly designing products for South Africa's unique driving environments.

While most South Africans should carry Comprehensive Cover car insurance, 65 percent of South African drivers have no car insurance at all. This is stunning given the high rates of motor vehicle accidents and fatalities in South Africa. If you have no insurance, then you will need to replace or repair your car at your own expense if an accident occurs, and you may have to repair or replace someone else's car in case of an accident. What happens if your car is hijacked, stolen, or vandalized? You need car insurance to cover the risks of car ownership.

Third Party Only covers you if you are responsible for damage to someone else's property in an auto accident. Other options include Third Party Fire and Theft Cover, which pays to replace or repair your vehicle as a result of fire, theft or attempted theft.

Motorcycling is a widely accepted form of both transportation and sport. From America, to South Africa, communities of avid motorcyclists can be found. And just as in the operation of a car, a motorcyclist needs insurance to protect themselves against loss or damage as well. Thankfully there are policies designed specifically for this growing need.

Because the great outdoors is such a large part of South African living, several products have been developed for the risks associated with outdoor travel. For off-road enthusiasts, there is Off-Road Comprehensive cover designed to cover the risks in this unique and unpredictable driving environment.

When you have not looked at insurance premiums before you may be surprised at how expensive they are. There are factors that determine the rates that you do not have control over and some that you do have control over.

Younger drivers are considered a higher risk, and therefore pay higher premiums. If you have no driving history, or if your history includes accidents or dangerous driving habits, your premiums will be higher. But, as you age and build a better driving history, your premiums will reflect the lower risk.The first factor, one you can't really do anything about, is your age and driving record. Fortunately, the passage of time has a great effect on this factor.

The value of your vehicle is another important consideration. Expensive vehicles are more expensive to insure, as are high performance vehicles.

Some companies have minimum safety requirements, but will discount your premiums if you exceed these minimums. Also consider where you keep your vehicle. If your car is parked in a high-crime area or even on the street overnight, you'll pay for that risk.Another way to reduce your premiums is to increase your safety measures.

Be sure to research different kinds of insurance and how they relate to your situation. Just because something is cheap doesn't mean it is right for you. Be sure to select the policy that meets your needs and is at a price you can afford.

About the Author:

How To Improve Your Finished Basement Design

By Casey Torren

Your basement could be multi-functional. Given careful planning, you can remodel it into something worth your time and money. Nowadays, a finished basement design has become a very popular investment. How to improve it is easy, manageable and relatively affordable too. In fact, with a little creativity and knowledge in art or interior design, you can turn your basement into the most beautiful and favorite hangout place in your home.

Don't despair! Here are some of the things you can make out of your unattended basement.

- Your home office. Supposing you have a small business run at home and you need an office. The basement can be the perfect place to set this plan up. Assuming that you have a finished basement design already. All you need to do is furnish it. Add office furniture and all other office supplies, equipment, and useful stuff like lamps, book shelf, etc. Don't forget to install a phone and a fax machine.

- Small gym - A treadmill doesn't require a huge space. So does any set of weights. You can always put it in a corner in your basement. A good place would be near the window if you like to work out with the cool breeze of fresh air. That way you'll also have the feel of a semi-outdoor while doing your regular exercise.

- Kids' Play Pen - There are really no furnishings needed on this one. Although you might need a removable rubber carpet on the floor to go with your finished basement design. Kids can be messy and unpredictable. Accidents can happen. A rubber mat should keep them comfortable in their place. And for extra safety precaution, consider setting up a railing around them.

- Entertainment room - Take advantage of the lack of lighting and convert it into a new facility. Some homes use the dark corners in their basement as a mini theatre. Others would use it as a dark room. Not only is your finished basement design space optimized, it has brought a new experience too.

- Your Basement Bar - Converting your finished basement design into a bar is a cool idea too. That would take away your problems in where you want to hold mini parties with your friends on weekends. But remember to have proper ventilation or a room temperature balance because it can get warm and sweaty when it's crowded.

- Your Guest Room - If you have a big family and have used up all the rooms for your kids, why not use the basement as another bedroom. You can have your guests use it. You in-laws perhaps if they come over to visit the kids.

- Music Room - Your finished basement design is probably the most well insulated place in your house in terms of acoustics. If you have a teenager who loves to play in a band, you might want to explore this option. A music studio can be cheaper and only needs good sound insulation.

Your basement can turn into something more. If your basement is spacious, you can accommodate all of the above mentioned. It's really up to you. A very good finished basement design should be flexible in terms of use. Just make sure it's still cozy and can make your friends or guests feel welcome. This little den in your home can go a long way.

About the Author:

If You Are Unable To Be There But Want To Show You Love Them Then Send -