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Foraging In The Forest Finding Materials That Link Your Home To The Great Outdoors

Thinking about redecorating? Before you run to the nearest interior design store, consider looking to the forests instead. Natural, minimally-worked materials help create an interior that seamlessly transitions from the outdoors - a relaxing environment that’s a pleasure to come home to. Ideas include:

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Do You Live in a House or a Home

Do you live in a House or a Home? This probably sounds like a silly question, but it really is a question that we should sit back and ask ourselves. If you are anything like me, I’m often so caught up with the everyday stresses of life that my house often becomes a nothing more than an after thought. On the flip side, for some, your house may be so showplace perfect that it truly is not a home. What is the difference between a house and a home, and does it really matter?

A house is simply a structure that provides a roof over your head. It offers water, heat, appliances needed to store and prepare your food, space for belongings and valuables, a bed for rest, and most likely a TV for entertainment; basically all of the necessary conveniences for a comfortable life. Living in a house maybe okay for some, but I think we all deserve a place to call home.

A home is so much more than a house. A home is a reflection of you. A keeper and creator of memories; It is a place that you are thankful to come home to; where you can laugh, relax, cry and share special times with friends and family. A home provides a place to play and another for quiet contemplation. A home is for lively gatherings and private conversations. It’s a place where guests feel welcome and one that you can’t wait to get back to. A home says, this is who I am and what I love.

The good news is that creating a home is something that all of us can do. Terence Conran says this; Home is the heart of lifeHome is where we feel at ease, where we belong, where we can create surroundings that reflect our tastes and pleasuresMaking a home is a form of creativity open to everyone. After all, it’s your special touch that uniquely makes your house a home. Think back to homes that you have visited and what you liked about them. What made them special and what do you remember about them? Homes that I remember best are those that reflect the personality of those who lived in them. My childhood home had bold and happy colors; purple, red and gold. There are lots of family pictures, exotic items from travel adventures, and a few special pieces from my parent’s childhood homes. It’s a home that reflects their personality, heart and passions. My home (which is always a work in progress) is done in welcoming warm tones of yellow and gold; you’ll find a painted quote on a wall by Mark Twain about following your dream, candles in every room, and kids are always in and out. It can be a lively energetic place or a cozy place to curl up and read.

One home I remember visiting years ago was an old farm house. The owners had numerous treasured farmhouse antiques, but what I remember most about this home, is that almost everything had a story. A quilt on the wall was made by a great grandmother. The walls of a guest room featured a very old christening gown and several outfits that were handed down from generation to generation. Hung next to the garments were pictures of children from several generations, each of them wearing the same special garments that were handed down throughout the years. What a great way to share history, create conversation and re-live memories.

Yes, a house provides you with a roof over your head and a place to sleep at night, but a home is so much more. It tells amazing stories, embracing both laughter and tears; it provides a place to unwind, breathe a little easier and energize for what tomorrow may bring. As Dorothy once said, “there is no place like home”. Don’t we all deserve a home?

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Web Site Design

The whole world has moved from the printed page to a page suspended in cyberspace. Websites are the rage in every sphere of life.

For the creation of a website, you have two options: you can either recruit a professional to design the site or you could gather up courage and add a dash of personal creativity to design your own site.

To execute a Website design, one would need basic tools like a computer, an internet connection, web page construction tools such as HTML editor, and a host on the World Wide Web to publish your page.

There are three keys to a website: clear goals, design, and content. The website must serve its purpose and aid personal development, or fulfill business, social, cultural, humanitarian, or business objectives.

Define clearly what the purpose of the website is, how many pages the site will have, what kind of content will it provide, how many pictures and advertisements it will include, and will it have e-commerce of any kind? What kind of investment will it involve? Is the site for personal satisfaction or does it have a business angle?

While designing a website you need to keep in mind a few simple ground rules. Ensure that the resolutions of the web pages are either 800 x 600 or 1024 x 768, the lowest being 640 x 480. Keep in mind the convenience of the user. The page size should not require horizontal scrolling or “page down” for more than three screens. In fact, modern design demands that each page should be within one screen, as anything more means you lose viewers unless, the content grips attention.

The layout must be user-friendly and have spaces, no crowding, easily readable type, and images that are not fussy, garish, or blinking. To prevent delays in page loading, a page must not exceed 50K. A balance between text and images must be maintained, and no image should be too heavy. Even if flash is in vogue, you must also use HTML so that non-techies can make use of the site.

Choose a reliable web host, ensure that the specifications of the web server can support the bandwidth you need, and use an operating system that is universally used. Test the pages to see that they open in Windows as well as Mac.

At all costs, avoid blinking text, animated GIF s, or loud sound, anything that is fussy and distracting. Think about users with slow internet connections or old computers. To be successful and invite visitors time and again a website must be interesting, useful, and user-friendly.

Design provides detailed information on Design, Logo Design, Web Site Design, Interior Design and more. Design is affiliated with Bedroom Decorating.

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