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Picking Up a Digital Camera Gift

So you have decided to buy a digital camera for someone. Digital cameras are hot gift items. They are also high tech devices with many features and options. This article will try to help you pick up the right digital camera by understanding the considerations when buying one.

Current camera: If the gift receiver is already using a digital camera you should get the model number, the memory storage and the accessories they have. In such cases getting a digital camera would only make sense if you can afford to buy a new digital camera that is significantly better than the current one they have. A better camera is not simply one that has more mega pixels. As you will see later other considerations like lenses, flash and battery are no less important.

Photography and technology level: If the gift receiver is savvy when it comes to technology and photography you can consider higher end cameras that allow more flexibility and options but are harder to use. Digital SLR cameras fall into that category. If the receive is not into photography or technology you might want to choose a camera that is easier to use such as a digital point a shoot one. It can result in high quality pictures, is easy to use and thus can be very satisfactory to the amateur user.

Expected usage: What is the expected usage of the camera? It is hard to answer this question but you can try to estimate based on knowing the gift receiver. For example if he or she travel a lot for long periods you want to pay attention to features such as camera weight, size, battery life and memory storage. If he or she hardly travel these features are less important.

Additional cost: The cost of owning a digital camera is not limited to the money paid to purchase the camera. In most cases the owner will spend more money on accessories and other additional products. When giving a gift you want to make sure that the receiver would not have to spend more money in the near future for such additional accessories. To make sure that it does not happen the gift should include additional accessories such as batteries, memory cards, lenses and cables as needed.

How many megapixels: It is hard to avoid this question. New cameras are packed with an ever increasing number of mega pixels. Is more mega pixels better? it really depends. More mega pixels is important if the receiver is going to print photos (especially enlargements) or if they are going to zoom in and crop fine details out of big photos. If they just plan to view the photos on their computer screen and maybe print a few 4X6 prints every now and then than 2 or 3 mega pixels is more than enough (yes… just 2 or 3). When buying a gift you would want to buy what is considered the standard megapixels number to date. A good advice is to buy what is considered standard. If after budgeting for extra accessories you still have more money to spend on the gift you can always go for a higher megapixels number.

Batteries: There are two kind of batteries that can power a digital camera: disposable or rechargeable. The advantages of disposable batteries are that it is easy to buy a few, carry them and replace the ones that are empty. They are available in any store and thus very convenient when traveling. The disadvantages of disposable batteries are the cost of buying new batteries every time your batteries are empty and the capacity (in most cases disposable batteries do not last as long as good rechargeable batteries). Disposable batteries are not friendly to the environment you do not want to get them for someone who is environmentally conscious. Rechargeable batteries require only one purchase. The disadvantage is that if you run out of batteries during a photo shooting session or somewhere away from home or a power supply you can not just buy another battery. If you know that the gift receiver travels a lot and might be involved in long photo shooting session you might want to include an extra battery in your gift.

Zoom: There are two types of zoom optical and digital. Optical zoom works by physically moving the camera’s lenses and changing the focal length. By changing the focal length you can make objects appear bigger and fit the full photo frame. Digital zoom works by applying built-in software in the camera to define a portion of interest in the photo. Once chosen the software crops the rest of the photo and enlarges the area you chose to fit the complete photo frame. The downside of this digital process is that the enlarged photo quality is lower than the original photo’s. The conclusion is that optical zoom is superior to digital zoom. From a practical point of view digital zoom should not be considered zoom at all. Some manufacturers state the camera’s zoom figure without specifying if it is optical or digital. This information is confusing and done on purpose to inflate their real zoom numbers. When you compare different cameras zoom always compare their optical zoom capabilities. You can totally ignore the digital zoom figures.

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A Vacation to Remember in London, England

My time in London was set right in the middle of my month long overseas adventure. From Christchurch, New Zealand I’d traveled through Bangkok and onto the majestic city of London. Just flying over the area was exciting; looking down on the Thames River was great and for some reason reminded me of the Eastenders TV programme.

After settling in at my sister’s apartment I got some valuable sleep, traveling can be great fun but the jet lag can quickly bring you back down to earth. The next day I headed out to St Paul’s Cathedral, it’s an amazing monument and was well worth the visit. After taking the usual touristy photos in front of St Paul’s I moved on to the Tate Modern Art Gallery. They had some really fascinating exhibitions on at the time with some great sculptures and art work.

Heading out to lunch reminded me of how expensive everything is in London after you’ve exchanged New Zealand dollars to British Pounds, after coming from the very cheap Bangkok; I realized that this part of my holiday was going to be expensive. Holidays are all about spending money though so it was time to move on and spend some more.

Being a huge sporting fan I was very keen to get to Wimbledon to watch some tennis. After the first day got rained off I decided to make the journey to the grounds and see what my chances of getting in were. Turned out that I just had to wait in line, a particularly massive line! Luckily waiting in line turned out to be part of the fun, I received my queue card, my official guide to queuing handbook and numerous other goodies that were dropped off to those who were waiting so patiently. We waited in the line for an hour and a half in the end which wasn’t too bad, especially when you compare it to the other line of people who were queuing for good tickets to the following days play!

As I walked into the legendary Wimbledon complex I realized that this was so much more than a few tennis courts, it was like a small town it was so big. I watched some games on the outer courts first, had to pinch myself that I was actually watching tennis at Wimbledon, where were my strawberries and cream? After having some fun checking out the speed of my own tennis serve I ventured towards the main courts, I managed to purchase some resale tickets to the main courts and ended up watching both Raphael Nadal and Andy Murray, couldn’t believe my luck! The atmosphere was amazing, even for so early in the tournament.

The next day involved lots of time in the underground and on foot as I made my way around London’s Museums. I went to the Science, Victoria & Albert, Natural History and British Museums and thoroughly enjoyed each one, just the buildings were impressive. I particularly enjoyed seeing all Egyptian and Greek artifacts such as vases, statues and the Rosetta stone. It’s a shame I had limited time because there was so many interesting things to see.

For dinner we went out to the Ivy, a very posh restaurant that my sister had booked well in advance. The food was good and the atmosphere nice, if not slightly pretentious. After a few drinks at a local pub we meandered back to Clapham Common and my sister’s apartment. It had been a great day of sightseeing and certainly one I wouldn’t forget any time soon. Luckily I had bought enough memory on my digital camera to last me a lifetime because I was taking a lot of photos.

London is full of amazing sights and to do it justice you would have to spend weeks exploring its vast areas. The only problem is that it can take a long time to get from A to B so you have to be prepared for some frustrating times whether it’s delays on the underground or huge lines at famous attractions. Luckily you’ll never find yourself disappointed with what you find in London, it’s a destination that should be on every traveler’s to do list.

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6 Occasions In Which A Picture Purse Makes The Perfect Gift

If you’ve found the perfect picture purse to give to the most important women in your life, you can turn them into more significant gifts by choosing the right occasion to present them.

6 Occasions in which a Picture Purse Makes the Perfect Gift

Graduation Day – Your daughter or younger sister has finally graduated from high school or college. What she has accomplished is certainly one of the major achievements in life, and you definitely need to give her the reward she deserves. A picture purse of the two of you during her graduation day would be great and maybe inside, you could give her a prepaid credit card so she can start shopping in preparation for the next chapter of her life.

Valentines Day – Picture purses are also perfect gifts for the most romantic holiday of all. The ideal photo for your purse would be one with the two of you together. It could be your wedding photo or anything equally lovely. A photo of your honeymoon destination would be great as well. And maybe inside, you could surprise her more with plane tickets for your weekend getaway.

Birthdays – Almost anything can be a perfect gift during birthdays just as long as they’re what the birthday celebrator wishes. A picture purse, however, is something that anyone can appreciate. To make it more fitting for the occasion, you can use a close up photo of the celebrator for the purse or one that was taken during her infant or childhood years.

Weddings and Wedding Anniversaries – These are one of the most poignant occasions in our lives, and they definitely deserve to be immortalized through the surface of picture purses. Choose the photo you’ll use carefully; it must concretely symbolize the relationship you and your partner have enjoyed throughout the years. And if you’re willing to be just a bit more romantic this time around, consider inserting a little note or letter inside the purse. It’s always good to remind your partner of your love once in a while.

Death Anniversaries – Losing someone is always a painful process that you can’t completely get over from. You move on, but a part of you can never get rid of the grief you feel because of your loss. If your loved one is suffering from grief, you can make the pain less acute by giving her a picture purse featuring the photo of her recently deceased loved one. A mere photo may be nothing compared to having the person you love and have lost actually with you, but it can still provide much appreciated comfort in the future.

Baptism – The christening of your daughter is a special occasion for you and your partner. While a picture purse might not be something your daughter can appreciate at her age, it’s something that your partner could definitely be pleased about. The ideal photo for this kind of gift would be a mother-and-daughter picture. It’s also preferable to choose a white colored purse to properly mark the occasion.

Now that you know when’s the best time to give the women in your life their respective picture purses, make sure that you place your orders at least two months before the designated occasion. Deliveries can take as long as six weeks so advanced orders are a must. Of course, if you’re in a hurry, you can always pay extra and have it delivered to you overnight!

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Creating New Christmas Traditions

christmas recipes, Christmas Traditions, family tradition, holiday recipe, holiday traditions, homemade candy Making new Christmas traditions is a valuable way to cope with the first Christmas after the death of a loved one, or yif ou’ve just married into a new family. Creating new family traditions is also a good way to stay healthy at Christmas.

New Christmas Traditions: Christmas Volunteering

Volunteering at Christmas is an excellent new family tradition at Christmas. Investigate the “traditional” Christmas volunteering ideas: food banks, Meals on Wheels, Christmas hampers, etc. Consider making Christmas volunteering a less traditional holiday tradition, such as making simple Christmas stockings with your family and delivering them to street kids or a youth shelter. A new Christmas family tradition could include visiting sick kids in the hospital or donating toys, books or needed items to the Ronald McDonald House or a women’s shelter. Always call first. Christmas volunteering makes you feel good about yourself and your family – even if you’re grieving a death at Christmas.

New Christmas Traditions: Christmas Recipes

Creating Christmas traditions should ways involve food! Spend time with your kids, partner, parents or loved ones in the kitchen, baking Christmas cookies or decorating gingerbread houses. Pick a holiday recipe that you only make at Christmas – perhaps homemade candy canes will be your new holiday tradition – and invite friends and family to help make them.

New Christmas Traditions: Christmas Ornaments

New family traditions include making different Christmas ornaments from scratch every year, such as popsicle stick picture frames or popcorn wreaths. Christmas ornaments can become holiday traditions even if you add a new variation each year. For instance, put new family photos in Christmasy picture frames; every year, line them up on the mantle or bookcase. If you don’t have time to make Christmas ornaments but like this idea of creating new Christmas traditions, consider purchasing instead of making a new ornament every year.

New Christmas Traditions: Christmas Stories

Make your family story a new tradition at Christmas. Keep copies of your annual family Christmas card or letter, and read them out loud each Christmas. Or, read squo;Twas the Night Before Christmas or e Best Christmas Pageant Ever out loud to your kids the night or week before Christmas. Holiday traditions are about you as a unique family, warts and all. Sometimes new Christmas traditions start by accident and continue unattended; other times, you have to deliberately implement your new Christmas traditions. Either way, holiday traditions are a reassuring, fun, and healthy way to celebrate Christmas.

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Make Money With Catalogs! Earn Cash Selling From Catalogs! Easy Cash Earnings By Selling Gifts To Friends And Neighbors!

Single Moms, Stay At Home Moms, Working Moms, Even Dads, Or Anyone Needing More Money! Okay, YOU Want To Earn Some Extra CASH From Now Through The Holidays?

Here is a great idea and it is so easy to do…

My name is Father Time, I am a self-help writer and motivational speaker, and please allow me to explain something that can very easily work very well for those who are really willing to work at it. It is not hard work, it is actually very simple, and I will break it down for you into 10 very simple steps…

The person who says it cannot be done should not interrupt the person who is doing it!

This involves great merchandise in catalogs…gift items…something that everyone will soon be buying for the Holidays! You might even need some, too! You can cash in with this idea! Just be open-minded

#1: We have a fabulous website, and it is loaded with about four thousand great items that almost anyone would enjoy receiving as a gift, and the website can be seen at www.FatherTimePublishing.com but even if you do not want to sell from catalogs, then you can at least still come shop online for yourself!

We always need some new retail customers, so please feel free to come shopping! You can also sign-up for our Daily Motivational e-mail Message, which we are currently giving away a few free subscriptions!

#2: We have some very beautiful full-color catalogs featuring many of these wonderful gift items, however, our name, address, and website DO NOT appear anywhere on the catalogs. YOU can put your name and phone number on them…the people will have to call YOU! The main catalog is almost 400 pages! It’s awesome! Everyone that sees this huge catalog will definitely find something that they want! One gal has about a dozen that she keeps loaning to people and then retrieves them along with an order, before loaning them to another prospect. She also made up a few business cards and some fliers and treats it like a job…she is earning a nice weekly cash income!

#3: You are 18 years of age or older, naturally, and you live somewhere within the 48 continental United States. You have an address where you can receive packages from UPS. That is how we ship the merchandise to you, for you to deliver to your own customers!

#4: You are not interested in going through the hassles of starting your own company or business, opening a special business bank account, getting permits or licenses, becoming a credit card merchant or anything too involved like that! You would like to earn CASH, maybe even daily! You also want to keep it as simple as you can!

#5: You are NOT the least bit interested in any type of MLM or network marketing, and neither are we! However, you are able to show some catalogs around and take some orders! Direct selling ONLY! Some college girls clean up with these catalogs!

#6: You can go to our website right now and have a look at some of the many great gift items that we sell; candles, bath & body items, statues, clocks, photo albums, figurines, watches, knives, wall hangings, picture frames, kitchen items, home decor, electronics, decorations, and so much more. If you like what you see, then you can order however many catalogs that you want. Some people only start with one, some folks buy ten…it is entirely up to you!

You really can do this if you decide that you want to and you actually try!

#7: You will simply show or loan these catalogs to various people you know (only for a day or two) and keep one of the catalogs with you at all times, so you can have it available to show it to as many people as you can, and encourage them to order something from you as a gift for somebody! (Christmas is coming, they all need to buy for someone!)

#8: When your customers tell you what they want, you will write down the items on your list and collect all of the money from them. After a few days or a week, you will combine all of your customer’s orders into one master order and e-mail the list to us.

#9: We will figure out what 70% of the total price is, (which is your cost) plus the shipping charges, and we will send you that total and you will PayPal that amount to us. The rest is your commission…your cash profits! You keep that money and do whatever you want with it! We have a college girl client who is always selling this stuff, all year round! She does extremely well! She loves that it is a CASH income! Whether YOU report it or not is YOUR business, not ours!

#10: We will ship the items to your street address, via UPS, and you can deliver the items to your friends, relatives, neighbors, co-workers, acquaintances, and whomever else you took orders from! You can do this over and over, as much as you would like! We have a college girl client who sells these items all year long!

That is how simple it is! How much will you make? Well, that all depends on YOU and how much you work at it! Can you show some catalogs around to people you know and ask these people to buy something from you? If you can, then you will certainly make some money! If you are too timid or shy, then this might not be for you. Although it really is easy!

You are aware that people always love to buy from catalogs! Have you ever seen people go nuts when someone else is looking at an Avon catalog? They all want to see it when the person reading it is done. We do not have a million people showing our catalogs like Avon does, so that is even better for you!

Please visit our wonderful www.FatherTimePublishing.com to have a look at the really great merchandise, and for more information! Please see the Frequently Asked Questions section, and also visit the Catalogs section! Then YOU decide if this is for you!

“The person who says it cannot be done, should not interrupt the person who is doing it!” – ancient Chinese proverb

Many Blessings!

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Snowflake Party Favors

While it’s good to have a celebration in the middle of summer when you can enjoy the good weather, it’s also wonderful to have a winter celebration because you can enjoy a whole different theme and cozy surroundings indoors.

And what better way to enhance any winter party than with some seasonal snowflake party favors?  No matter whether you are celebrating a wedding, a birthday or even Christmas itself, there are plenty of seasonal snowflake decorations and holiday party favors that will really bring any winter party to life.

If you are looking for something practical to impress your guests with, why not go for some snowflake bookmarks?  These are made from metal and have an ice blue tassel attached to them for ease of use. They also come complete with a gift box and bow, so you won’t need to worry about how to package them to look their best for your guests.

If you are planning an elaborate sit down meal then you could turn the place settings into gorgeous winter wedding favors for the guests to take away with them. These come in handily packed sets of six, and there is a discount for ordering in bulk so you can really save some cash by planning that big meal for everyone to enjoy!  And what better invite to sit down than a wintry snowflake design printed onto a delicate glass ornament?

But of course, you may only want to provide a holiday party favor for people to enjoy after the meal itself. In this case the traditional sugared almonds or perhaps small chocolates of some kind are always welcome. To make them that extra bit special and to fit in with your wintry theme however, you could buy some snowflake favor boxes that come in pure white card and are easily put together in seconds when they arrive. They provide unusual and delightful receptacles for your treats!

If you’re looking for something a little more generous to fit into your budget however, you might want to consider snowflake wine bottle stoppers that come neatly packaged in a gift box with a snowflake design on it. At a little over three dollars each for the smaller quantities and just over two dollars for larger quantities, you can really treat your guests with these snowflake stoppers that will elegantly keep their wine safe and fresh every time they use it.

Place card frames are a cheaper option that will be just as well used after they have been handed out, as they have room for the name and table number of the person seated there, and can hold a favorite photo once the meal is over and your guests return home with their holiday party favors or winter wedding favors.  At just over a dollar each for the larger quantities and not much more for smaller amounts, these are ideal if you have a tight budget and you still want something a little unusual to give away.

In short, if you go for the snowflake theme you won’t be spoilt for choice when it comes to party favors.

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How Can You Avoid Thefts, Cons, and Street Scams When Traveling?

Airports, bus and train stations, and other crowded areas where travelers are in close quarters are where pickpockets prefer to operate.  There are a number of dos and don’ts to avoid becoming victimized when you travel, most of which are common sense.  Here are some.

  Don’t wear jewelry or an expensive looking watch as that is an invitation to be robbed.Wear a money belt under you shirt or blouse to help foil pickpockets as well as muggers.

  It is a good idea to put your things in a Ziploc type bag and then put the bag in your money belt.  The reason for this is that the money belt and the items in it will get soaked from your perspiration, especially in hot climates, and this will help keep them dry.  Do not open your money belt in public to take out credit cards, cash, or traveler’s checks

  .It might be worth it before you leave on vacation to sew a few pockets on the inside of your slacks, skirts, or underclothing where you can stash some spare cash when you are out and about for the day.  If you are carrying credit cards, cash, or traveler’s checks on your person, you should divide them up and put them in different pockets.  Then, if a pickpocket is successful, he or she won’t steal everything.  It also makes sense to use a safety pin to make each pocket opening smaller so that a pickpocket will have difficulty pulling anything out of your pockets without you being aware of it.

  If a number of children gather around you in the street and cause a commotion, you are likely being targeted by pickpockets who are using the children to distract you.  If a couple of locals start a yelling and shoving match near you, they could be a distraction for pickpockets.  Another method of distraction is to have someone collapse and fall down in front of you.  When you bend over to help them, the pickpocket goes into action.  A variation involves two thieves working together, one gently dropping some ice cream, ketchup or mustard on one of your shoulders and then distracting you by pointing to the mess and helping to wipe it off.  The other pickpocket will then go into action.

  Pickpockets prefer to target men with their wallets invitingly exposed in their back pockets, and  obese people because they are less likely to feel their pockets being picked.  You must be especially vigilant in airports, bus and train stations and watch your luggage, camera, and laptop like a hawk as they can disappear in an instant.  Keep in mind that pickpockets love tourists, especially when they are in crowds.

  Be vigilant when you are wearing a backpack.  Thieves may slash the bottom of it, spilling all the contents onto the street where he and his accomplices grab your possessions and run away in different directions. 

  Usually muggings occur at night and not in a busy, bustling part of the city.  If you are accosted by an armed robber, do not argue or resist.  Give them what they want and be thankful that you don’t get hurt.  Whatever they take from you can be replaced and is not worth risking your life over.

  After reading Bob Arno’s book on how people can avoid thefts, cons, and street scams, we felt that it would be a valuable book for anyone who goes on vacation, or travels for business, to also read.  It is full of information and photos that show you how many scams work.  There is no limit as to what criminals can think of to steal and rip-off from unsuspecting tourists. 

  Bob is one of the world’s foremost experts on identity theft, street crime, and scams,   If  you want to find out how to protect yourself when on holidays as well as at home, you should read his book, “Travel Advisory! How to Avoid Thefts, Cons, and Street Scams While Traveling”.  You may be able to find it at your local library.  If not, it is available through his website, BobArno.com, or Amazon.com.

  He has been interviewed on CNN, MSNBC, ABC’s 20/20, The Travel Channel, The Learning Channel, Discovery Channel, and has had articles written about him in USA Today, National Geographic Traveler, Fortune Magazine, The New York Times, and Time Magazine. 

  His book is full of humor, true stories, as well as many photos of pickpockets and street scam artists in action.  In our opinion, his book is worth its weight in gold, and is a must-read for anyone who wants to learn how to protect themselves and their family when traveling, and even in their own home town.

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Use Stationery for These Festive Occasions

Stationery is popular with many people for use in writing personal letters and notes, and it has found a purpose and use in the business sector as well. The types of stationery used for personal letter writing and business letter writing are different from one another because their purposes also vary from each other. However, whether you are writing notes for business or personal reasons, here are the top occasions for using high quality, personalized stationery over blank paper or generic greeting cards.

To write announcements and thank you messages for wedding, birthday and other gifts is certainly at the top of the list for occasions when stationery is used. Other special events such as high school or college graduation announcements and notes of thanks for gifts are included as festive occasions for using stationery.

Many people use personalized stationery to send messages of sympathy and comfort to relatives, friends, and people in their work circles who are experiencing the grief of losing a loved one. Stationery with religious sayings or a serene background works well for communicating your care and concern for others during such sad times. A special note of thanks or in remembrance of a loved one, are more noticeable when they are on stationery.

Another occasion for using stationery is inviting guests to a party or special event that you are having. Personalized stationery is a wonderful way to express to your invited guests how important their attendance is to you, and can build a greater excitement for them about the upcoming event. Christmas and other holiday greetings and newsletters presented on stationery can give those greetings some added “oomph”.

Sending “we’ve moved” announcements on paper stationery is a great way to notify friends and loved ones when you move or buy a new home. Most people are sure to read it, as no one gets much real mail other than bills and advertisements. And if you use brightly colored or fun stationery, they are likely to keep your announcement prominently displayed in the kitchen or family computer/homework station. No one likes to throw away attractive cards or hand-written letters on stationery!

But if you have not moved recently, you can still use personalized stationery just to keep in touch, even with people you email on a regular basis. Such a gesture tells the recipient that you were thinking about them in a special way, and making an effort to spark that extra personal connection.

An engaging method for introducing yourself to neighbors, to invite everyone over for a block party, or to encourage “community” among all of the members of your neighborhood is by distributing notes, invitations and community events on personal stationery. The safety in neighborhoods increases when the people living there know their neighbors well and communicate with them often. Sending your neighbors kind letters on friendly stationery can open up the lines of communication and help everyone to be safer, and to enjoy living in the neighborhood more.

Use stationery as a backdrop for cherished photographs placed in keepsake books, in frames, or on the fridge. Stationery is available in a rainbow of colors, shading, and dimensional designing. Using stationery as a platform for displaying your most loved photographs of family, friends, and events is a wonderful way to make them more special. Placing photos on stationery can also protect those photographs from damage that can occur with direct contact with the glue used in most photo albums for holding pictures in place.

Business offers many occasions to use personalized stationery, including all of the above adapted to your professional relationships (a coworker gets married, or has a child). Strictly business occasions include cover letters, making inquiries about job openings, memos, announcements, proposal letters, and customer relations. These are just a few of the uses for stationery in business. The power of a handwritten note or letter should not be underestimated in enhancing your business relationships. You may take the time to say thank you for lunch, to introduce yourself to a new contact, or to follow up on a previous contact. Personalized stationery gives you an added edge simply because most people do not go out of their way to use it.

The opportunity to turn an ordinary letter into an extraordinary letter is the top on our list of occasions for using stationery. The occasion does not have to be festive to use stationery. This is a winning proposition for both you and everyone you that receives the letters you write. Writing letters on stationery is more fun than writing letters on blank pages. Test it out for yourself. Write a letter on plain paper and the same words on decorated paper stationery. You likely noticed that your mood improved while writing on the decorated stationery paper. This is because your visual sense was stimulated. Chances are the letter’s recipient will get a kick out of it too!

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Personalized Business Gifts - Special Gifts For Colleagues

Business companies usually give business gifts to advertise and promote what they have. However, those gifts may also be given to people other than customers and clients. Business gifts can be presented during any type of business affairs, such as trade shows, conferences, recognition day, anniversaries, holidays etc. There are so many business gifts to choose from, you can find simple gifts to elegant ones. However, just choose accordingly.

If you want to thank a colleague who has been a good friend and helped you all throughout your career, you can give something that can let him feel appreciated. This is where gifts come into action. Of course, you have already seen a wide assortment of business gifts, and you also seen most them owned by many business people. So, the real challenge here is to find a business gift that stands out. You might probably think that finding such unique gift is difficult, but surprisingly, it is not!

Personalized business gifts can make a one of a kind gift for your dearest colleague. You can find different kinds of personalized business gifts, from personalized fabrics, leathers, to metal items. Here are some hot choices you may consider:

Personalized Black Leather Business Card Case. Business card holder and cases are very important accessories of a business man. In today’s business world, these people should have business cards, and so a card case holder can help these cards stay neat and clean in a briefcase or purse. This stainless steel and leather business card holder can be customized with your colleague’s initials engraved on the front plate. Engraving is complimentary for this Personalized Black Leather Business Card.

Engravable Black Leather Business Journal. In business, technology may reign supreme, but there’s still room for the elegance of actual writing! Give this personalized black leather journal to a friend who has brilliant ideas and let him preserve the musings of the moment, and his ever-presented to-do lists. This sophisticated gift can make a perfect solution to scratch paper – a handsome leather bound journal as a business gift for your colleague. This leather journal encourages organized peace in a hectic work day, time to gather thoughts and plan strategy. Exquisitely embossed with a name or initials, this personalized journal becomes a memorable gift of your appreciation.

Personalized Business Pen Set with Leather Pouch. Help your colleague to commemorate his career milestone by giving a pair of fine pens – a classic style of gift that he will surely treasure from his friend! Your colleague will appreciate the thoughtful gesture of a personalized gift, especially because these exquisite writing instruments are so versatile and practical. Properly presented in an eye-catching leather case, this pen set is a wonderful way to express your appreciation for a job well done.

You can find those sophisticated business gifts online. Other unique, personalized gifts you may consider are personalized bags, magnetic money clip, personalized photo albums, monogrammed desk accessories…etc. Making your gift personalize is one way to show how special the person to you. Make it always a choice to personalize your gift, be it for colleagues, friends or relatives.

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Christmas: Basic and Simple

It makes me wonder when I recently visited a large shopping mall, are people really cutting back on purchases this year? Is it the gloom of the state of our economy, which has many families re-thinking their gift buying this Christmas? Typically, the majority of people seem to spend more than they can afford, especially if they’re buying for their children, grandchildren, brothers, sisters, parents, or other relatives.

I really believe that with the current economic condition and what it shall be for the upcoming year, everyone needs to refocus and shop within their means. What people should do is to calculate what their expenses are and then from that, figure out a budget for Christmas gift shopping. Too many have used their credit cards or relied on other revenues to purchasing their gifts. We should all put our credit cards away and use available cash. Too many of us purchase by bulk so that the underneath of our Christmas tree is packed tightly with assorted gifts for everyone.

During this time of year, I frequently think of what it used to be like when I was a child and how we celebrated the Christmas Season. To me, the thought of giving of something special and personal would be more appreciated than something store bought. When I was a child growing up in a family of eight, most of my gifts were usually crafted because of the income my father and mother had. My father would craft toy boats out of wood for the boys and my mother would make dolls for the girls. Those were the good old days. Now in today’s market, economically we’re not much better off than my parents were and we should all try to cut back on our debt. I think everyone is hurting for money and maybe keeping Christmas basic and simple and foremost remembering the true meaning of this Christmas holiday would be helpful and less stressful. I have jotted down some past ideas for creating and even getting those inexpensive gifts, by creating gifts, and most importantly enjoying your time this Christmas season with the family.

Give the gift of time to family relationships. In previous years, our family would make up coupon books to give to each other. It was coupons that would say things like; take out to dinner, get a free back rub, clean the house, play at game night, etc. The coupons we made came from my wife, the children, and myself and personally meant a lot.

My wife used to make homemade items, like baked and no-bake cookies and other festive desserts, we printed photos, put them in a collage frame with a magnet for the refrigerator, the kids would always make some form of artwork to give to us or someone else.

If you have difficulty in deciding on a special gift, you could always contribute a small amount of available money to an organization in honor of someone close to you, i.e., Vietnam Veterans of America, Disabled Veterans, American Red Cross, Salvation Army, or to any other organizations you care too.

We both come from a large family and would draw names. This way we only gave one gift to one person, but everyone received something.

Tell you family and relatives that you have set limits up front on what you do this year. Remember, if your children are old enough to understand, be as honest with them and let them know that you only have so much too spend.

Talk to your spouse and discuss what your limits are for each other. Several years ago my wife and I decided to stop spending on each other. Throughout the year if we need something we get it and when it comes time for Christmas, we find that each year we already have what we want and need. In doing so, we found we had a little more to spend on our children.

This year we decided to purchase gift cards in lieu of gifts. It seems that so many of our children and families have so much, it’s hard to buy something special that they need. In doing this we found that with a gift card, the grandchildren and our children can get what they really want.

Now back to the basics. I believe that everyone should remember and discuss with each other the true meaning of Christmas. When asked of a grandchild what Christmas was all about, she said, ” How many presents you get under the tree”.

Focus on and discuss the real meaning of Christmas, the birthday of Jesus Christ.

Focus on quality family time. Everyone could get into the car and take a drive around the town looking at all the beautiful light displays. You stay at home one evening and sit around the living room, pop some popcorn and watch a Christmas movie together. If you are fortunate enough to have a fireplace, you could sit around the fire and share your favorite Christmas memory or story.

Focus on practicing the giving rather than receiving rule. Your family may be able to help a needy family or a child you may know that will not have a Christmas. You could buy food or gifts for the family. If your children use their own money to buy things for another family, they’ll experience a real satisfaction that they actually did it themselves and help someone else, the giving rule.

I hope I’ve offered an idea or two that will make your holiday a little easier and less stressful.

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Stunning and Unusual Valentine's Day Gifts

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Valentines day is traditionally a day when we give those we love special gifts and cards to show how much we care for them. Celebrated on February 14th, the giving of romantic Valentine’s Day gifts has become as big a part of tradition as many other holidays throughout the year. Chocolates, bears, roses, and champagne are among the most popular Valentine’s Day gifts along with jewellery and other items. However, for something completely unique and extremely appealing, personalised photo gifts make excellent gift ideas.

Valentines Day

The giving of roses and champagne and going out for a romantic meal obviously doesn’t have to be reserved for a single day of the year but Valentine’s Day does hold a special place for many of us. It is traditionally the one day of the year when we put a little extra effort into showing the one we love that we really do care. Personalised photo gifts can help us do this, not only because they are such great looking items, but also because they are personal to the people that receive them from the people that give them.

Romantic Gifts

Photo gifts allow for a wide range of different choices. Not only can you select the exact item, and often specify many different options, but you can also choose a favourite photograph or picture and further personalise this with a message, caption, or date. This has helped photo items become such popular gift ideas for any occasion not just for Valentine’s Day.

Personalised Photo Gift Ideas

Valentine’s Day photo gifts really do offer a broad variety of scope. Items like the canvas print are popular all year round because they are stunning pieces of wall art; and they take on a whole new light as a romantic Valentine’s Day gift too. Photo blocks are a modern equivalent of the old glass covered, framed photograph. Lighter, more convenient, and still retaining a glossy shine they have also become a popular way to show off your favourite photographs. What’s more, if you’re really stuck picking a photograph, you can have a photo montage created that incorporates all of your favourites.

A Stunning Selection Of Quality Items

Photo bags, photo books and albums, and even photo cushions or blankets can all be personalised to include your photograph or images and there are many other items that can be afforded the same level of customisation. Choose a gift that best suits the recipient, decide on a photograph or photographs that you would like included on the item, and then let the photo gift service do the rest of the work for you.

Valentine’s Day Photo Gifts

Photo gifts are ideal for any occasion and are a joy to give as well as to receive. Choose an individual photograph of the person you’re giving it to or you could opt for a romantic picture of the two of you together. A photo montage can be used to tell the story of your entire relationship or a particular event that happened in your relationship.

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The Best Valentine's Day Ecards

Picking your favorite free Valentine ecards doesn’t have to be as stressful as the rest of your holiday preparations.  In fact, the only stress you may encounter at all is in picking your favorite one to send.  And to help you along in that department, check out a few of my favorite cards.   

1) Roses On Valentine’s Day.  All good free ecards are fully animated.  And this one is, too; but it adds the extra dimension of being fully interactive, as well.  As the card starts, we see a desolate-looking dead garden.  But if you click the water pail hanging on the screen, it begins to water the garden.  Within a moment, the dead weeds turn to beautiful blooming roses.  Without a doubt, this is my favorite Valentine ecard.     

2) Reach for the Stars.  Here, we see a man riding on his bicycle, going as quickly as he can across the landscape.  Finally, he gets going so fast he actually achieves liftoff.  And as he begins the sail across the sky, the message flashes across the screen: “Riding on your love, I can reach the stars!”

3) You’re the Miracle I Waited for.  Another cool site for animated ecards is 123greetings.com.  They offer a lot of poetry cards.  This one features romantic music playing in the background as a love poem scrolls across the screen. 

4) Meant to Bee!  Back to got-free-ecards.com for this one.  In a blossoming rose garden, a lovely bee with a woman’s face flies onscreen and gathers up some roses for her lover.  A clever play on the phrase, “We’re meant to be together,” this card is quite popular, and it’s easy to see why.

5) All Free Printable Valentine Cards.  Finally, I’ve put all of these cards under one heading.  If you really like the convenience offered by ecards, and yet still like the tradition of physical cards, free printable cards are a good compromise.  While not animated (we don’t have the technology…yet!), there are a host of creative designs to choose from, and they’re all fully customizable, from writing your own message to even using your own photos. 

                Hopefully, after looking through some of my favorite Valentine ecards, you have a better idea of which ones to use yourself this Valentine’s Day.  Good luck, and have a happy holiday!

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Selling Your Digital Photography On Stock Photography Sites - What You Have To Know!

    Selling digital photos is not a difficult thing to do, however you have to pay attention to how the market works. The photos on stock photo web-sites aren’t just your standard pictures taken during a family holiday. So what should you know in order to sell your photos?

The photos that SELL are marketable, work-able images, ones that you could find on leaflets, websites, rack cards, or other creative campaign pieces. Prior to uploading each photo, think about the reasons designers might purchase that picture, and WHO would be looking for a photo like yours. Would your photo interest graphic designers, digital artists, art directors, marketing companies and others, or is it more of a “my mother loves it” picture? Stay clear of the latter… they won’t be lucrative, and selling your digital photgraphy is all about being profitable!

You’ll need to learn to assign keyword phrases for and categorize your images. Consider this as the way you are building various links for the artists or designers to find your particular picture. If the concept of keywords is puzzling, an easy way to explain it is to have you have a look at your photograph, and think of everything someone could enter into a search engine (like google) to get an image like yours. These are going to be your key words. The more accurate, the better for marketing and selling your digital photgraphy!

If you are interested in selling your digital photgraphy on the stock photo websites, you need to be aware of what sorts of images are in fact selling. Why spend time shooting and uploading shots that won’t make you money? And what types of shots ARE selling? The very best guidance I can provide you is to check out the stock photo websites themselves. Look through the shots for sale on the sites themselves, and take some notes. You can learn a lot about the types of photos you need to be uploading to that specific site. A quick hint of what you will see? Bright, attention-grabbing, colourful, focused, image-specific photographs.

Look through the web-sites and get inspiration! Selling digital photos is something you CAN do, even if you’re not an experienced photographer… but you should try to do it right!

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Fundraising with the Cheerleading Squad

Cheerleading fundraisers are the ultimate in small group fundraising. Cheerleaders possess boundless energy, determination, and loads of contacts (for potential supporters).

Harnessing all this energy and enthusiasm can be a challenge,but having the right cheerleading fundraiser is a great start. You want to leverage their skills by giving them an exciting fundraising product to sell.

So, what cheerleading fundraising ideas will generate excitement?

In this article, we’ll consider three types of cheer fundraisers. Each involves doing something a little different, each of them are easy to do, and each fundraiser packs a profit punch.

Cheer Fundraiser #1 One unique approach for a cheerleading fundraiser is offering custom posters of school sports teams or of the cheerleaders themselves.

For instance, feature the team photo of the football team, or use a series of action photos. Each can be turned into a wall-sized poster or a fundraising calendar.

Add some allure to these cheerleading fundraisers by including your game schedule or team slogan printed on it in a contrasting color.

You could also design one to celebrate your championship teams, commemorate your previous titles, intensify a cross-town rivalry, recognize all of your school’s sports teams on a spirit poster, or feature the cheerleading squad in action.

Any of these items is sure to be popular with a wide range of students. Local businesses will often buy one to put in their front window. Players will want a souvenir copy suitable for end-of-season autographs. Proud parents and grandparents will want their own keepsake copy.

The posters can be sold easily at pep rallies, sporting events, through the school store, and by the cheerleaders themselves via a merchant table at a high-traffic location on a weekend.

Think of creative ways to design and market your own unique set of cheerleading posters. Consider adding merchant sponsor logos to reduce the cost. You could also cross-promote with another school on a rivalry poster and double the overall market.

Cheer Fundraiser #2 Another idea for cheerleading fundraising is selling customized Holiday Greetings CD’s. This is a brochure or order-taker sale of a personalized selection of holiday music favorites.

One of the nice things about this product is that a purchaser selects their ten favorite holiday songs by checking off boxes on a list of thirty classics.

Included in the choices are favorites such as Let It Snow, White Christmas, Jingle Bells, and Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas.

These are licensed copies of the original recordings by the original artists, assembled on a personalized CD that costs your group a mere $4 each.

A retail price of $10 coupled with the ability for the customer to order a personalized message on each copy, make these a great cheerleading fundraiser.

The CD’s are available in six basic designs – Singing Snow Men, Rudolph, Christmas Tree, Peace On Earth, Kwanzaa, and Happy Hanukkah.

There is room for a holiday greeting of up to thirty characters on each design. For example, the Christmas Tree version has the phrase “Merry Christmas” in green and red, with space below it for a “From the XYZ Family” greeting.

Shipments are sorted by salesperson and customer, making your delivery a very simple task indeed.

Cheer Fundraiser #3 A third type of cheerleading fundraiser that creates an air of excitement is selling flowering “airplants.”

Airplants, or more properly, Tillandsias, are unique, soil-free plants that absorb nutrients and water through their leaves. All they need is air, water, and light.

Tillandsias are attractive and fascinating members of the pineapple family (Bromeliaceae). Their native habitat is the southern United States, Mexico, and Central and South America.

Bromeliads – Tillandsias – can be placed in anything: rocks, shells, pottery, driftwood, around water fountains, fish tanks, etc. They like bright, indirect lighting, and a heavy spraying or soaking two or three times a week.

They have a growth cycle starting with one plant growing to maturity, then blooming. One to two months after the blooming has finished, new plants form around the base of the “mother” plant. Each will continue growing and reproducing if given the proper care.

A cheerleading fundraiser Airplant package consists of a beautiful example of the Bromeliad family, comfortably ensconced in a natural seashell holder.

Your group pays $3 per Airplant, including the seashell holder, shipping and handling. Each Tillandsia retails for $6, so your cheerleading fundraiser is ensured a good profit margin.

You can organize your sale as a special event or as an add-on to a regular gathering. Set up a table with your sales display and place a colorful Tillandsia poster on the wall behind to let your prospective customers see how beautiful these Airplants are in full bloom.

You can also conduct your cheerleading fundraiser as an order- taker from a sales brochure. Each brochure contains colorful pictures of these exotic, but easy to care for, plants.

Simple text explanations are included describing the simple steps involved in nourishing these fabulous specimens.

Summary All three of these fundraising products will add some excitement to your next cheerleading fundraiser.

When all the participants are enthusiastic about offering something new and unique, it packs a powerful profit punch.

Heres to making your next cheer fundraiser a resounding success.

Cheers!

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Help your Kids Connect with Long Distance Grandparents

Being away from their grandchildren can be tough and lonely for grandparents, because they were not able to watch how their grandchildren grow. They missed their grandchildren’s milestones such as their first words, first dental check-up and first day in school. However, there are ways in which your children can connect with their grandparents even when they are miles away.

•    Send Grandparents handwritten letters and postcards. Grandparents would love to receive handwritten letters and postcards from their grandchildren. Tell your kids to update grandma and grandpa about their school activities and personal lives by sending them letters and postcards. Grandma and grandpa would love to know that their youngest grandchild already knows how to write letters. Your kids can design postcards especially for their grandparents with the use of colorful layouts and standard postcard sizes.

•    Schedule weekly phone calls. Phone calls are more personal and interactive. Grandparents and their grandchildren can have long and detailed conversations through the phone. Calling their grandparents on a weekly basis allows your children to be closer to their grandparents despite the distance. 

•    Create a scrapbook. Let your kids put their photos during their basketball game, cheering practice and Holiday trip on the scrapbook. Tell them to write captions so grandma and grandpa will know the stories behind each photo. Kids can also attach their business cards in a standard business card size on the scrapbook. Business cards are helpful for grandparents to know their grandchildren’s mobile number, email address or blog account. Your kids can also send their business cards to other long distance relatives. 

•    Look for a game site online. Choose a game site that grandparents and grandchildren can play together. This way, they can all have fun even when they are not together physically.

•    Visit Grandparents during the summer. This is the chance for Grandpa to teach your kids how to fish or fly a kite while Grandma cooks a special lunch for the kids. Take photos of your kids’ summer at their Grandparents’ house so they can treasure those moments.

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Insurance Information;travel Insurance Explained

This article explains basic travel insurance information.

Travel insurance sometimes called holiday insurance should provide these basic things.

   1- Cover for canceling or cutting short your holiday, for reasons outside your control;

2- Missed transport or delayed departures for reasons  outside your control;

3- Medical and other emergency expenses;

4- Personal injury and death;

5- Damaged, lost or stolen personal property;

6- Accidental damage or injury you cause to someone else.

  You can buy annual or single-trip policies.

  Most travel insurance policies do not include high risk sports and dangerous activities, such as ski-ing, mountain climbing or scuba diving. So check if you are covered. If not you will have to pay extra.

    If you have to cancel or cut short your trip. You must show you had good reason to shorten or cancel it. A list of the reasons will be included in your policy.

  It is worth checking your household contents insurance policy. As this may already cover you for loss or damage to your personal belongings, while you are abroad. If this is the case you should ask for a discount. In the event of a claim it simplifies matters,and your claim and pay-out will be  much quicker, because if there are two insurance companies, they will both spend months haggling over who is responsible for the claim.

    If you have a credit card they sometimes include free travel insurance, if you  use it to pay for your holiday. Check carefully what you are covered for, as it may not provide  full cover for everything.

  Some package holiday companies offer their own insurance. However you do not have to accept it. You can purchase your own insurance, usually much cheaper. A travel agent must not charge more for  a package holiday, because you did not buy their insurance. If a travel agent tries to do this, you should contact your nearest trading standards department.

    MAKING A CLAIM

If you have to make claim, contact the insurance company as soon as possible to request a claim form. They may have an international helpline you can call, usually printed on your policy document or in the handbook. If not phone them as soon as you return home.

    You are expected to take reasonable care of your belongings. And your insurer will want evidence of loss or damage. When a crime is involved , you must try to report it to the police within 24 hours, if possible.

  Keep receipts for all goods and services that you wish to claim for.

    PERSONAL INJURY AND MEDICAL EMERGENCIES

  Always get receipts for medication and treatment.

  If you need medical treatment on holiday, telephone your insurer as soon as possible to get authorization for the treatment. If possible contact them before agreeing to the cost of the treatment.

  Do you have a pre-existing medical condition? This means that, if you already had a health problem or illness before you purchased the policy. You must tell the insurance company, or your claim will be rejected.

    Don`t rely  on your EHIC card to cover  all your medical costs abroad. As those countries that do offer UK citizens state healthcare, will only provide the same care as a citizen of that country would expect to receive.

  Always take your insurance information, policy documents or photo copies with you. So you have details of what to do, and who to telephone in an emergency.      

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How to rent out your Spanish property online

If you rent out your Spanish holiday home I’m sure you use the internet to try and increase your bookings but are you using to its full potential?  I have rented out my cave house in Cullar (a beautiful house with a pool but carved into the mountainside) for three years and have increased my bookings markedly even during the recession.  Here are some quick tips for success with your online rental campaign.

1. Get on a good rental website

Without at least one listing on a big site you will get lost in the crowd.  We use OwnersDirect which charges an annual fee but has been well worth it in terms of bookings.  There’s no point in spending the money and then rushing the listing: you need to publish a really appealing ad on the site with good photos and really talking up your strengths and facilities – read the competition listings for ideas!  Alternatively you can try a site like Villarenters.com which has no annual fee and which allows online booking with credit card; the downside to this approach is that they take a commission and also you have to honour all bookings made online.

2.  Design a website

We aimed at being welcoming and friendly and include lots of photographs of local scenic beauty spots.   There are companies like webs.com that will allow you to design a website (using one of their templates) for free and they will help you get it online.

3.  Links

To get your website noticed you will need to link it from as many other sites as possible starting with your rental website which will allow you to link from the listing to your site.  If you search “how to get links” on Google you will find lots of ways to link to your site and get it up the rankings in search engines like Google and Bing.

4.  Free advertising

Search around online and you’ll find a lot of sites where you can advertise your property for free e.g. Angloinfo.com, Kugli.com, Friday-ad.es.

5. Articles

Writing articles about your area and posting them on sites like ezinearticles.com and articlesbase.com brings a double benefit – you can link them to your site and tell people about the wonders of your area.  They can be quite short articles just about local features or activities.  Remember – include lots of photos!

6.  Forums

There are lots of Spain-related forums where you can mention your property or link to its website (just search “forums spain”).  Remember to respect the rules of the forum – some of them don’t like you to advertise blatantly.  They are usually free to join.  Examples are absolutespainforums and eyeonspain.

7.  Keep your booking calendar up to date

Your ads and website will probably have a booking calendar to show availability: most important to keep them all up to date.  It is frustrating for a potential customer to request a “free” slot and discover it is in fact already booked.

8. Adjust your pricing as necessary

Take some time over your pricing and make adjustments if there are any quiet or overbooked periods e.g. if you have a place with a pool it will have to be much cheaper during the months when it is out of use.  Look carefully at what the competition are charging because your clients will.

9.  Social networking sites

Sites like Facebook are becoming increasingly important for marketing.  You can include photos and details of the property on there and send round updates to your friends and contacts (like “now taking bookings for 2010” or “photos of local fiesta added”).  You can even Twitter! (I haven’t quite got that far yet).

10.  It’s hot –  show off the pool if you’ve got one!

If you have a pool it’s a big selling point in a hot country like ours so feature it prominently; a big photo of our pool is on the front page of our website.