If you have begun planning to remodel your bathroom and want to add a glass block shower then you will be surprised to find it will not be as hard as you believe. The one thing to remember is that you need to plan for the end when designing the bathroom. This type of shower has to be a part of the remodeling plan from the beginning of the process.

If you try to put it in after the fact, it may not work out as successful as you would like. In fact, the idea of adding this style of shower may need to be forgotten if it is not part your plans from the beginning. The main reason for the need of advanced planning is so the blocks can be properly cut to fit the existing base and space of the bathroom where the shower will be installed.

One specific step that needs to be considered when working with the design of a glass block shower is design. It is important to start with a rough sketch of the final product. Thought about the type of entryway into the shower, such as a door-less stall or if a shower door or curtain fits into the design. The type of cover over the shower determines the location of the drain, so the water is properly directed to it.

Next, you will want to think about the materials for the base and actual stall. Next on the list is the type of plumbing and shower head you will want to use. Shelving is also important for the storage of shampoos, soaps and other necessities. If these ideas are used you will have a new shower in place before you know it.

Jewellery designing is a process that never ends as fashion is forever changing. Years ago it was something that was worn more by men than women and then the fashion for men wearing jewellery faded but now there is a large market for both women’s and men’s designs. There are very many jewellery designs available and the combinations are as large as your imagination.

If you have a vivid imagination and you are creative and want to design something unusual in the way of looks and designs, then jewellery design is one of the best ways to show off your creative talents. This is a medium where you can not only use your creativity but can create your own beautiful piece which can give you a great sense of satisfaction. So just turn your back on those old fashion designer jewellery pieces that you have stored in your jewellery box and have been produced by the thousands of pieces.

Start exploring your imagination and be creative and I am sure you will end up with something which will be beautiful and unique. This is the craft where the design possibilities are endless. There is no end to the amount of handmade jewellery you can create. You can blend the latest in style fashion designs with the traditional and conventional designs to make unusual handcrafted jewellery. You just need to have few ideas and tools to start up with your own designing and producing a beautiful piece. You can design and create your own rings, necklaces, bracelets and earrings. However, if you if feel that you are not so creative then you need not have to worry there are many magazines out there that can inspire your designs. You can use the internet to see what the latest fashions are offering or why not use jewellery designs from the past to give you ideas to create stunning designs of the present.

Just catch up with the latest fashion designer jewellery and change your collection you all ready own with these stylish and chic ones altering pieces that you already have in your collection. Making earrings from brooches, pendants from your earrings add two necklaces together and copy the latest trends from the cat walk. Don’t be afraid to experiment with the pieces you have.

Search secondhand stores, charity shops and boot sales for secondhand pieces and it does not matter if the pieces are broken as you can use the chains and beads from many different pieces to make your own piece of jewellery that is unique and original to yourself

Here are two of the latest trends that are available

Layered chains are the best ones to sparkle up your simple dress. It is the latest handmade jewellery design which should not be overlooked. Layered chairs look elegant on every woman and can be worn any length. Long to create that Bo Ho look or shorter if you are wanting something more classic and stylish. It creates a wow effect that every woman desires for. A layered chain is the pile up of different individual chains. It gives a continental style when you wear it. While selecting the layered chain, it is advised to select the piece which has wide range of textures and designer elements. A Layered chain can consist of silver and gold chains with beads, pearls and crystals or why not choose a mix of all these. It can also be layered with textures like ribbons, feathers or tassels. These multi chain necklaces will suite many outfits.

Chandelier earrings are hanging earrings. These earrings are back in fashion and are mostly loved by women. Chandelier earrings are made of precious or semi precious stones such as diamonds or beads like glass, crystals and pearls. They are available in many collections and at many different costs. Diamante and pearls look great in the evening and bright bold colours in the day.

Traditionally, a brand is thought to evoke, in the customer’s mind, a Certain personality, presence, and product or service performance. A brand may be defined as a ‘name, sign, symbol or design, or combination of these, intended to identify the products of an organization and distinguish them from those of competitors.

This is also referred to as a logo when used in the product’s promotion. The brand mark is the element of the brand identity, consisting of the design or symbol. The brand name refers to the words, such as the name Nike, and the brand mark represented by the swoosh symbol.

Many hotel brands have become household names, such as Hilton and Holiday Inn. The following attributes associated with a successful brand, which are: name, symbol or both are well known; it is unique and cannot be copied by competitors; It is reflective of the consumers self image; it represents the intangibilities of the product; it informs and influences a consumer at the point of consumption; it provides the foundation for all marketing activity.

When developing a brand the objectives must be thought out. It is important to point out its characteristics, such as the brands quality, value for money, emotional appeal and status associated with it.

BRAND NAMES

Kotler, (2006) suggests the following characteristics for designing a brand name: appropriate imagery; easy name to pronounce and remember; distinctive with supporting colour and design; uses words that convey the nature of the product and reinforce the benefits; registrable in the countries it wants to operate and should easily translate into a foreign language.

When the car manufacturer General Motors introduced the Chevrolet Nova in South America, it was apparently unaware that ‘no va’ means ‘it won’t go’ in Spanish. Once they realized they quickly changed the name, at some considerable financial cost, and damage to the company’s brand image.

Research bears out how strongly the name in particular, but also the logo and design styles of different brands, can affect the perception of the offering represented by those brands (Holloway, 2004).

Once a name has been chosen it should remain protected until the product reaches the end of its life cycle. The cost of changing signage, supplies and merchandise can run into millions of pounds in a large hotel chain Also, due to the somewhat intangible nature of hospitality products which cannot be sampled in advance, the purchaser can have enhanced assurance through a known and used branded product.

A brand name derives its value from consumer perceptions. The expectations created by the name will continue to affect consumer’s evaluations of the actual brand performance, as has been shown in person perception (Darley & Gross, 1983). Brands attract customers by developing a perception of good quality and value (Kotler, 2004). Marketers would be well advised to invest heavily in creating and testing product names.

CASE STUDY – MALMAISON BRAND

Branding is a topic of great interest in the global hotel industry. In the USA, over 70 percent of the hotels are branded; in Canada, brand penetration is around 40 percent. Overall in Europe, only about 20-25 per cent of room capacity is branded by an integrated chain.

The Malmaison brand is named after a Chateau on the outskirts of Paris (the original home of Napoleon Bonaparte and his lover, Josephine), which was lavishly decorated and became an 18th Century style icon. Two hundred years later in 1994, Malmaison revolutionized the UK hotel industry by opening its first hotel in Edinburgh and heralding the birth of affordable chic.

The brand was born of the notion that there was a need for better value mid-market alternatives to luxury hotels. But affordability doesn’t have to compromise style, something Malmaison has consistently proved. Its original vision stemmed from an insight into business travelers and their needs, as well as the emerging existence of a growing group of discerning, upwardly-mobile customers who wanted more

than the mid-market brands offered.

Malmaison has always perceived itself as a lifestyle brand, marrying its emphasis on getting the basics right with extended hospitality, to an extent that few other hotel brands can match. As one of the first ‘lifestyle’ hotels on the market, Malmaison strives to stay ahead of its main competitors through

product innovation and by never losing sight of its target market – mainly mid-thirty something business travelers.

The MWB group, who own Hotel du Vin and Malmaison, have traded as two separate entities, keeping the mystic and brand essences of both companies completely separate. Malmaison Liverpool has ‘added value’ (Doyle, 2002) to its brand by introducing the Toffee Suite, named after Everton Football Club; there is also the Kop Suite for fans of their rivals, Liverpool. Brand image creation is also formed in other ways as one guests reports: “Feel great, feel free”, counsels a sign beside some attractive lotions in the bathroom, advising us to “take the toiletries”. “They’re all free”.

This is all intended to inspire brand loyalty by creating what hoteliers hope will be a distinctive experience for guests. Malmaison is now the hotel of choice for UK business and leisure travellers, according to the British Hotel Guest Survey 2008. The name Malmaison does not appear to have had a negative impact on the brand, this may be due to the images associated with the name being French and the translation creating different brand associations. The brand’s imagery suggests a contemporary, innovative, stylish and design conscious brand which is reflective in the product. These brand attributes have been successfully deployed to develop the brand’s equity and a strong image in the minds of its target market.

Indoor and outdoor flooring are usually done with a brick, concrete or natural stone. At times, this is done using expensive materials in the market. Though it is not a common form of installation, poured limestone guarantees a finer finish with low maintenance. While pavers are a sound option, they are prone to cracks particularly in areas that experience high traffic. Also, weeds can grow through and ants can burrow trails. On the other hand, liquid limestone has an excellent ability to seal all gaps. In addition, they can significantly reduce the occurrence of cracks depending on the installation quality.

Therefore, liquid limestone is a cool, stylish, natural alternative to stone, brick and concrete paving. According to history, the natural cream limestone has been the most well-liked. However, as the trends of housing keep changing, diverse designs and bolder colors are being conceptualized and produced. The sellers of these construction materials have broadened their suite of offerings, and they are now available in a broad range of colors. So, it will leave an individual`s garden looking good with a gorgeous limestone wall that will last for long. Here are the reasons why poured limestone is the best choice for your home.

1. Low Maintenance

Compared to other stones with a natural luster, liquid limestone doesn’t. In this way, it is similar to travertine. The dull quality only means that there is no need for spending a lot of money on scuffs and polish. Besides, scratches do not show up as much. The infrequent cleaning entails a speedy wash with water and mild detergent.

2. Earthy and Elegant

Like any other natural stone, limestone has an earthy quality that makes it ideal for homes that lean towards natural design. Also, the simple, understated look is one of its best features, and the resulting stylishness is effortless and flawless.

3. It is Durable

With good care, it can last for long, even centuries. The ordinary wear and tear does not rob this building material of its beauty. In addition, it resists agents of damages like weeds and ants. For sure, limestone will seal all the gaps where weeds and ants can use to penetrate the floor.

4. It is More Affordable

The limestone is more inexpensive compared to other stones. Taking its benefits into consideration, the price is pretty reasonable.

5. Plenty of Variety

In spite of being largely light-colored, it can be textured and colored to specification. Indeed, there is no restriction on the number of patterns that one can achieve after deciding to use poured limestone in his or her home improvement. Limestone comes in various colors that can be worked to create different home designs. The homeowner just needs to inform the contractor about the kind of design that he or she likes.

6. It increases the Value of the Property

If one plans to sell his or her home later, then it is important to install the house accessories using limestone. This will add more value to the house. The house will have a beautiful appearance. Therefore, potential buyers who will come across the house will be willing to offer a higher value.

7. Non-slip

Liquid limestone has non-slip surfaces so there will be no horrible accidents when it gets wet and slippery.

If you are thinking about a new nard wearing surface for your home, then it may be worthwhile considering Poured Limestone.

What would you rather do? Flip through a paper appointment calendar that has lots of handwritten scribbles, eraser marks, and illegible notes? Or, use easy-to-read appointment scheduling software that allows you to book appointments fast? Let’s compare the differences between a paper appointment calendar and appointment scheduling software.

A paper appointment calendar is easy-to-use – all you have to do is pick up a pencil. However, it can be time-consuming to search through all the pages to find an open appointment time. There is not a lot of room to write appointment details about the services to be performed. It can be difficult to read messy handwriting and information about double bookings that are squeezed into the same space on the calendar. A paper appointment calendar can be easily destroyed. A spilt cup of coffee can blur months of appointments. It could light on fire or even eaten by your dog! Even though a paper appointment calendar seems easy, it sure does come with a lot of risks.

Appointment scheduling software can be just as easy as a paper appointment calendar. It’s very intuitive since it is simply an electronic version of an appointment calendar. You can back-up your appointments, so you won’t have to worry about losing appointment information. You can color code appointment types to help schedulers and employees see at a glance the type of services that are scheduled. You’ll be able to collect more information about your customers, including contact information that can be used to communicate with them. For example, you can call or email appointment reminders to customers to prevent no-shows.

You’ll also be able to create a waiting list and call customers to fill open time slots from cancelations, so your appointment calendars always remain full. Since the appointment details are stored electronically, you’ll be able to run lots of reports that can show you which services are most popular and if you have any employees who have difficulty filling the calendars. When there is slow time, you can use customers’ contact information to mail coupons and other promotional items to lure them back to your business. If you’re a really busy business, you may want to have more than one scheduler booking appointments. You can use appointment scheduling software on more than one computer and have multiple schedulers booking appointments all at the same time.

There are so many more advantages to using appointment scheduling software versus using a paper appointment calendar. And, appointment scheduling software is just as easy to use.

Presentation is the only way to promote products and to give it a real professional and quality look. Here are few tips to create soap packaging supplies for your homemade soaps.

Create Product Identity

First step is to make product identity which you think should best suite your product. You need to focus on the advantages of your product you think are the best for improvement of skin. Keeping those advantages you need to come up with an identity of your item. Like if your product increases the fairness of skin then you can have an Identity for your Soaps that focuses on fairness and attracts customers those are looking to increase fairness. Your Identity should be targeted that way you will be able to attract quality customers.

Create Selling Point/Feature

You need to create selling point for your Soaps, like a tag line that will hit a customer in first look and will represent your product features. Skin care products are usually very had to sell as customers are quite hesitant to buy sub quality items. Your selling point of your item should be attractive and spot on and should highlight the best feature of your product.

Research for Solution

Soap Packaging is the most important part of your homemade soap selling point. If your Soap packaging is good and professionally designed and printed it will boost your sales and will give positive message to your customers. There are different kinds of soap packaging ideas available in the market but you will need to find a unique solution that will support your soap identity and selling point. Packaging should also support wholesale soap boxes idea.

Design the Boxes

Next tip is to design your soap packaging according to your products range. If you are making item that has different flavours, like lemon, orange etc. Or your products have different colors then you need to design a soap packaging that will support your full range of products. Soap recipes should be designed separately. Like lemon flavour should be designed separately than the orange and similarly others. This will give uniqueness to your product range and will look professional and give quality to your soap boxes.

Print Them

While having your custom soap boxes printed, you need to be very careful in choosing the stock that will be used for your soap packaging. Stock needs to be elegant and should support the identity idea. If your soap is handmade, then for handmade soap, usually handmade card board is used. I love Brown card boxes and with full color printing. Brown card gives real elegant look to the packaging and looks really professional. Choose good printer to print your custom printed soap boxes.

Packaging

Once you receive your custom printed soap boxes then you will need to package them carefully so that they don’t get damaged during packaging or your boxes don’t get dirty. Usually soap wraps are used to wrap the soap and then slide inside the boxes. Soap boxes with window are the best suited boxes in this regard.

Presentation

Presentation for your packaging boxes is as important as its designing and printing. Once you package your boxes you will need to present in the displays in a way that they catch people attention. Usually customized Soap display boxes are used for this purpose. You may order up to 10 soap display boxes initially to check the response and then can order more later. You can fit up to 50 boxes in one display at a time. Customization is must for soap display boxes. You can either go with counter top display boxes or you can go with pop up style boxes displays.

CRUSADERS Air Purification System model XJ-2100 come with 6 Physical Filter Technology

1. Pre Filter 2. HEPA Filter (High Efficiency Particulate Air) Filter 0.3 micron (MERV 17 Rated) 3. Activated Carbon Filter (for smell and smoke) 4. Photo-Catalyst Filter (for toxic gases) 5. UV Lamp (for germicidal effect) 6. Negative ions (for freshness effect)

Smart AUTO MODE Sleep Mode Available Wind Speed Adjustment Timer Mode Smart UV & Anion mode 1 Year Brand Warranty Power consumption – 50W Weight – 5.3 Kg

With Remote Control, this unit can cover around 400 square feet of area.

Made for India, keeping in mind the pollution problems of India. Wide Application areas like:- Bedrooms / Offices / Small Conference Rooms / Doctors Clinics etc.

• Air Purification System based on the principal of Cold-catalytic oxidation along with high grade HEPA & carbon filter with UV to neutralize DUST, Pollen, Allergen, Smoke, Odor, bacteria, Virus, other micro-organisms, and toxic gases such as formaldehyde & Benzene.

• Best in class 6 Stage Filtration Process

1. Pre Filter: Stops heavier particles of hair, dust, etc. It can be used to deal with Formaldehyde / Ammonia / Benzene / TVOC / Hydrogen Sulfide and other harmful gases released by plywood, furniture, wallpapers, carpets, curtains and bedspreads.

2. Activated carbon Filter: A unique honeycomb design containing Live Charcoal granuals, blocks Gases and odours. Removes: Cigarette Smoke / pet & sweat odours / other famful gases etc.

3. Anti-microbial Filter: The 5-microns filter with antimicrobial agents can efficiently capture microbes in the air.

4. HEPA Filter: Traps pollutants of size 0.3 micron at 99.97% efficiency rate. Removes: very small particles / Small allergens / Microscopic bacteria and viruses / Dust mites etc.

5. Ultra Violet Light: The 365nm UV light works independently to neutralize microorganisms. Removes: Bacteria / Mould / Viruses etc.

6. Negative Ionizer: Trillions of healthy negative ions fill your room for continued cleaning.

Increases freshness in the room

Increases activity level in your body

Helps increases immunity

Creates Forest/Hill Station type Air.

Control Menu for Crusaders Air Purifier XJ-2100

DIGITAL DISPLAY

Before pressing on the power button, the angular design will flash in the digital screen and the machine is in stand-by mode.

TIMER BUTTON: When pressing on the Timer button, the Timer starts from 1-12 hours. The power will be turned off when time expires.

FAN Speed Adjustment: The Speed control button circulates from low, medium, and high. The speed is shown in the digital screen.

SLEEP BUTTON: When pressing on the Sleep button, the machine will be at low speed. The speed and sleep buttons are controlled in a mutually exclusive manner. When one is turned on, the other is turned off.

ANION BUTTON: Press the Anion button to turn on the Anion generator. The icon will be shown on the digital screen when it is turned on.

STERILIZE BUTTON: Press the Sterilize button to turn on the UV germicidal light. The icon will be shown on the display screen when it is turned on.

REMOTE CONTROL: The product is equipped with a remote controller powered by 2AAA batteries.

Janet Tava’s art is described as Asian, Chinese, Elegance in Nature, Art in Motion, and has been used in the home decor industry for many years. With the internet, today we have access to many of her works of art that normally would be considered a high ticket item for a small fraction of the cost. One example would be Manual Woodworkers and Weavers Gold Medallion which is an Orchid in Vase Design. The art in this beautiful tapestry wall hanging is by Janet Tava from her Art in Motion Collection. It measures 26″ x 47″, and consist of cotton materials. It is backed with a lining that has a tunnel to place a rod so that you can hang it in your home.

Janet Tava’s love affair with the beauty of nature began as a child at her parents’ lakeside summer log cabin. After graduating from the School of Visual Arts, she became a designer for Karl Mann, a design studio that has been a pioneer in the decorative art industry. For 12 years she was in charge of their Orientalia Painting Department.

Today, Janet lives with her husband Eugene and daughter Alexandria in a Weehawken, New Jersey Victorian home that has that same elegance in nature that she fell in love with as a child. She continues to portray in her artwork, images that enable her soul to touch ours.Today she works with her husband from their home in Tava Studios.

Janet’s artwork has been written about in Art Business News, Twentieth Century Literature, Dance Magazine, Architectural Digest, Metropolitan Homes, House Beautiful, Vogue, and House & Garden. Her artwork is all over the world in galleries, museums, and is used by various designers and firms today. She has artwork in the Embassies of South Africa and Saudi Arabia, in the Palace of King Hussein, and even in New York’s Tavern on the Green. She has won the Roscoe Award for her artwork at New York’s Executive Suites in the Plaza Hotel.

Janet’s artwork not only encompasses canvas, prints, posters, and other hand crafted products, she also has painted many murals and ceilings of historic buildings, the most notable has been the Children’s Chapel at the historic Marble Collegiate Church (the only formal Children’s Chapel in the United States) and the restored Martin Coryell House in Lambertville New Jersey. Private collectors of her artwork include Jane Seymour and Dizzy Gillespie, and me and you if we so choose.

When asked about her work, Janet stated: “I feel my work is a representation of my soul… light, airy, and constantly changing.”

Konquer Kompozer video training has recently been unleashed on an audience that is hungry to learn how to use this free HTML editor to create eye catching websites efficiently and to a professional standard in as little time as possible.  But does Konquer Kompozer really cover all the aspects required to take you from complete newcomer to competent web designer on how to use kompozer as it promises?

Having personally reviewed the product on its release, I decided the fairest way to answer the question if to simply cover off the pros and cons of the Kompozer video training series.

Pros:

• High quality videos – The videos contained in the Konquer Kompozer video training have been created by the author using a professional screen capture video suite.  What this means to you and I is that the videos can be viewed full screen with no loss of picture quality, certain areas of the video are visibly magnified when an important feature of the Kompozer software is highlighted by the narrator to ensure we see exactly where and what he is taking about on the screen.

• Professional narration – It is clear to see that the narrator of the Konquer Kompozer series is very familiar with the Kompozer software, his language and confidence in showing you how to use Kompozer is evident from his strong yet relaxed voice as he takes you through each of the modules within the course.  He also uses well timed wit and humour within the videos which helps the viewer concentrate on what is being shown to them without making them feel uneasy or naive with the concepts and steps being shown to them.

• Logical learning path – The videos are presented in a well laid out and easy to follow sequence.  Starting with installing Kompozer the correct way, through to configuration, HTML basics, Table design, all the way through to using advanced features such as CSS implementation and HTML coding verification to ensure you are “Search Engine friendly”

Cons:

• Price tag – Although most will be happy to pay the modest fee to obtain the Konquer Kompozer video training, not all will be able to justify investing in a commercial training solution for Kompozer and unfortunately will have to settle for the free videos scattered around the web.

• File size – Coming in at over 300MB, the size of the Konquer Kompozer download could also be a factor to whether it is viable to download.  Those on ageing dial up systems would take at least a day to download the training.  Also those that pay their ISP extra per megabyte downloaded may also want to check if downloading Konquer Kompozer is going to be a viable option in relation to the overall cost to download it in the first place.

Conclusion:

There are two types of Oracle applications training – system training and process training.

System training covers the basic functionality of the application, what I can form and function. A user will get introduced to the different screens they will encounter and the basic functionality provided by the application. The training topics tend to be general and built around the functionality available. System training is OK is you just want to get a feel for an application, but really doesn’t convey how the applications is used in the business environment.

Process training requires the instructor to cover and use Oracle applications functionality as it is encountered during the business process. Another words, the process drives the direction of training.

You can tell when you are in system training because the topics and agenda have a top down approach according to the menu driven application. Many instructors start with the layout of the screen, then the main menu options starting with File, Save, Print, etc. and finally creating and editing information. But there is no connectivity between the steps. It’s as though you are learning a bunch of disconnected unrelated topics. Users with a strong applications background can connect the dots easier than typical end users. System training can be great for technical users. This type of training design generally requires more data seeding as the exercises do not feed off one another.

With process training, the topics are tied sequentially to each other. For example, with Oracle Purchasing training, you would first cover the topic “Creating a Requisition” before you covered the topic “Creating a Purchase Order from an approved Requisition”. By following the standard business process during training, the tasks are now related to each other instead of being disconnected tasks. Process training is usually accomplished by staging the tasks sequentially in the order they would happen during the normal business cycle.

This type of training design generally requires less data seeding as each exercise is built on using the data from a previous exercise. If planned correctly, the Purchasing exercises can be built on to the iProcurement exercises and the Payables exercises can be built on to the Purchasing exercises.

In addition to less work setting up the training environment, by connecting the exercises around a business process, students easily apply the tasks they are learning to their real world daily activities. Process training is the simplest way to communicate day in the life of training.