Home & Office

Rae Dunn Ceramics - Cultivating the Artisan Spirit

Posted Wed, 05/06/2009 - 21:39 by Staff

Raedunn_partner
Rae Dunn was born and bred in California. A true creative spirit, she has delved into the worlds of fashion, graphic design and now ceramics. Intrigued by the art of the handmade, each unique piece in Rae Dunn's collection touts an organic form inspired by the imperfections of nature. Her inner artisan embodies the simplicity of her work in her own less-is-more lifestyle. Dunn was recently featured in the Japanese book, San Francisco Kitchens.

The $8000 Incentive to Buy A Home in 2009

Posted Sun, 03/15/2009 - 11:00 by sharon

Great news for anyone thinking of buying their first home or who anyone who hasn't owned a home for the past three years.

An $8,000 federal tax credit, available to people who are buying their first home this year, coupled with continued low interest rates, is fueling what may be the start of a housing sales upswing. Real estate agents say the credit, signed into law last month, has the potential to lift an ailing real estate market, which saw home sales plummet this past year.

The funds are available to first-time home buyers or someone who has not owned a home for at least three years. They must purchase a home by Dec. 1, and their adjusted gross income cannot exceed $150,000 for a joint tax filing or $75,000 for an individual.

The legislation is part of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009. Buyers also can receive the $8,000 this year when they file their taxes, if they bought a home in early 2009.

Organize Gift Wrap & Gift Bags to Save Time, Space & Money

Posted Tue, 03/10/2009 - 20:10 by Staff

Did you know getting organized can save you money? It can even save you time. Spending a few hours organizing a space allows you to save time over the rest of the year because you can easily find what you need or are looking for.

You can save money by being organized. If you can see all of your current clothes, or your kids clothes, or a bin of ribbons and craft supplies, you will not spend money on items you already have. For example, if you cannot find something, you often think you need to buy the item, but often it is just buried and put in a place you cannot find when it is needed.


Another way to save money is by recycling tissue paper and/or gift bags and reusing them. If you put away gift bags and tissue paper by putting the gift bags on hangers and hanging them according to type, you will have a variety of gift bags for every occasion when you need one.

Save Money and Stop Wasting Printer Ink & Paper

Posted Fri, 01/16/2009 - 10:56 by Staff

Are you tired of running out of ink at quicker than you think you should?
Often the culprit is printing off web pages that contains lots of colorful areas or ads.

There is now a Firefox (Web Browser)
plug-in called Aardvark that you can download in 1 click which will allow you to delete big ads or elements on the page before printing the web page. Over time, this will save you from unnecessarily wasting ink.

It has 72 reviews and a 5 star rating. It was also recommended by PC World.

Go to:
https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/4111 to download the Firefox plugin.

This will only work for users that are using the Firefox Web Browser, not Internet Explorer.

Be Smart & Secure When Shopping Online

Posted Wed, 12/03/2008 - 15:51 by sharon

With most Americans shopping on line these days, it is good to know a few basic safety procedures to keep your information secure and private. We all think that identity theft happens to someone else but it could, actually, happen to anyone.

Here are a few tips to keeping your information safe.

1. USE A HOME COMPUTER
If you will be entering credit card information, do not use an internet cafe or a hotel computer. Only shop at home or on a computer you know to be safe from viruses. You don’t even want to know what could happen to all your private information.

2. HOW SAFE IS THE SECURE CHECKOUT
Always check the web address when you get to a checkout page if you are shopping online. Most website urls start with HTTP, but for a secure website, it will start with HTTPS. The S indicates it is a secure site.

3. KEEP ONE CARD FOR ONLINE PURCHASES ONLY

Clutter-Free in 5 Hours- How to Clean Out Your House-Part 1-A Garage Makeover

Posted Mon, 11/24/2008 - 09:25 by kristin

Most of us have that room, or space in our house that is a dumping ground. A place where we put all the things we own that we are not sure what to do with, the holiday decorations, the old clothes, and everything else.

Well in my house that place became the garage after a 1,000 square foot home addition. Besides all of the extra wood, siding, screws, tools and flooring, we began putting our donations in the garage, furniture we wanted to sell, and lots of old toys that needed to be thrown away or donated.

Instead of going through the toys or donation items, they landed in the garage and just added to a growing disaster.

We kept putting off cleaning the garage because we figured it would take us the entire weekend to clean it out and put down rubber flooring. With 3 young kids, and our usual busy schedule, we could not find the time.

Making the Most Out of Your Time in the Kitchen- Time Management for Parents

Posted Fri, 11/21/2008 - 10:39 by kristin

Meal Time. Some of us may enjoy cooking, and others may despise it. Either way, getting our family fed can add stress to our day and take away time from other things we want or need to do.

There are some simple time management tips you can apply to the kitchen that can save you time making meals. I am going to give you 4 time management tips to help you make getting meals on the table faster and easier.

I encourage families to make their meals whenever possible because they are healthier, and do not cotain preservatives or additives and you know it is something your family likes.

1.When you make something, Make Double

If you are making cookie dough, pizza dough, lasagna, or some other meal, double the recipe and freeze the 2nd batch to use for another dinner or when you need to make cookies or pizza fast.

New Easy-Open Packages for Christmas Morning

Posted Sat, 11/15/2008 - 09:41 by sharon

Rejoice! Those hard-to-open packages that take a saw or a pair of needle-nose pliers to open are starting to be replaced! Apparently, quite a few manufacturers have been listening and hearing about the emergency room visits from trying to open some of these packages. Really! It is noted that over 6,000 Americans, each year, are injured while trying to pry or cut open some of these sealed, impenetrable packages.

Such frustration is induced while trying to open these clam shell packages ... as we have all experienced ... that there is even a name for it. Wrap Rage!

Inauguration of Our 44th President Draws Two Million People

Posted Tue, 01/20/2009 - 09:02 by Staff

January 20, 2009 marks the inauguration day for our 44th president of the United States of America. The inauguration of Barack Obama brings with it a new sense of hope for our country.

Over two million people have gathered in Washington DC to witness this truly historic moment. It is certainly a historic day in that this will be the first black president for America but it is historic in so many other ways also. Our country is in such poor shape economically and in the world view of our country, in general. The country, as a whole, is really looking forward to President Barack Obama to lead us out of some major problems. Obama has such a great sense of history and committment to our country and if anyone can do the job as President of these United States of America ... he can!

2009 Recession Survival Guide

Posted Wed, 12/03/2008 - 08:31 by sharon

As we start to think about the new year that will be starting soon, we are all trying to find ways to cut back on our expenses. Many of us have gotten used to buying anything we wanted whenever we wanted. Obviously, this has contributed to the financial state of the economy.

We all have to tighten our belts now and here are some strategies to help.

1. COMPARISON SHOPPING
If you really need to buy something or are still doing limited shopping for the holidays, use the many comparison shopping websites to check prices and also find free shipping if you are ordering online.

2. NEGOTIATE
When buying anything, whether it is clothing, applicances or a car, ask for a discount or if they can do better. You can even ask your existing credit card companies for a lower rate, especially if you have been a good customer of theirs. Remember that paying cash increases your chances for a discount, since retailers can avoid paying credit card transaction fees.

Syndicate content