Flavour Of The Month: July - How to wake up in the Morning

I have decided to start a new part of my blog titled ‘flavor of the month’. This will be where I get told a problem or would like to know how to do something and I will try to solve it.

This month I asked my friend, who also has a blog - Jacob and the Gordian knot, what did he need help with. He thought and sent me five problems that he has come across. Today I will attempt to solve just one of these problems.

Problem 1: How to get out of bed at the right time.

I always seem to be getting up too late and missing classes. I can't turn my alarm up too loud orI wake my neighbor. What do I do to make sure I get up?
This is a problem which most of us encounter at one stage or another, I know I do. Thinking just 5 more minutes, and the next thing you know its two hours later.
Don’t lie in bed and think about getting up, just do it. They more you think about it the harder it is to get up. Set only one alarm and put your clock or phone on the other side of the room. This way when it goes off you HAVE to get out of bed to turn it off. Turning on the light is a good way for you to wake up; I know that was always my father’s trick. The light will help you come out of your sleep mode.
It is important as soon as you wake up to be thinking positive thoughts. If you are thinking that you are going to have a horrible day or about all the work you have to do you won’t get out of bed, also it could mean you might have a horrible day. Happy Positive thoughts. I am Loved, I am strong, I am smart.
It is important to get enough sleep. It is a widely known fact that the recommended time for sleeping is eight hours. If you do get enough sleep you will feel rested and ready to tackle the day ahead. Also try to make sure you go to sleep on a positive note. If you are having trouble with this write down at least one good thing about yourself every night before you go to bed.
I hope this has help everyone get up and be ready to go for tomorrow.

How to Reduced your Carbon Footprint at your Wedding

Many couples are concerned with the wellbeing of our planet, and are making the simple move to having a ‘green’ wedding. Weddings can contribute greatly to greenhouse gas emissions and waste.
There are many different ways you can minimize your environmental impact while having a beautiful, stylish wedding. If you do not wish to be 100% environmentally friendly, using only one or two eco friendly elements can still help to reduce your environmental foot print.
Here are just three ways you can make the move to a green wedding. {Left- An eco dress by by-jessica-iverson)

Invitations – Recycled or tree-free paper can be used to create your invitations or any other stationery necessary. Personally deliver your invitation to as many of your guest as possible, which will cut down on postage cost, as well as emissions. With technology today, couples can send invitations and other wedding messages via e-mail

Decorations – Be mindful of the waste that will be discarded after your wedding. For a beach themed wedding, giving guests vases filled with sand and shells, after using them as a centerpiece, mimeses waste. For centerpieces consider using locally grown fruits or native plants, which could be arranged in bowls made out of recycled glass. You can create a romantic atmosphere by using candlelight, and using beeswax candles can create a sweet aroma and makes a lovely centerpiece for each table. Consider you venue and what you can use naturally to create beautiful decoration, such as the grape vines.

Honeymoon - Spending special time together is important, and you can be environmentally friendly while doing it. Utilize the beautiful country we live in. Spend your honey moon closer to home, such as relaxing on a beach or out in the country. Many resorts are dedicated to minimizing the impact on the environment around Australia. If you do want to jet on an overseas honeymoon, offset your carbon emissions and travel carbon neutral. This may mean choosing to ride a bike or use public transport in the months leading up to the wedding to build up carbon credits. A great eco-friendly resort in australia is "Paradise Bay Eco Friendly Luxury Resort Whitsunday Islands", at the Whitsundays.

How to put colour into winter

Winter is just about here which means lying on the couch snuggled with a blanket with a hot chocolate and watching a good old movie. Still, looking around the city there is a big shift from colour to black dark colours.

Just because it is winter does not mean that you have to go back to black.
Brookestyle365 informs us on the winter essentials, and I more than agree, however just because it is winter, don’t dismiss colour all together. Brook tells us that we need a black leather jacket or thick black coat and black (or brown) leather gloves like these green ones from Mimco (check out her blog for more http://www.brookestyle365.blogspot.com/ ), but colour is still essential. I believe colour adds liveliness.
Nail polish can easily inject colour into your winter. Red and purple seems to be the colour that keeps popping up, also give jade-green a try. Paler shades of nail polish stands out more, even try making a canvas for your bright nail colour by applying white first (like the ‘French Tip’ colour white)
Another great way to add a bit of colour is though bags; I have a big red one. Just because it is colourful dose not mean that it is not professional. I would however suggest a black bag for more traditional occasion. If you can’t or don’t want to fork out the money for a new bag, add a coloured scarf to your existing bag.

I love winter, and love colour, combined the two make for an interesting season.

How to Choose Music For a Party

So it’s your birthday and you will cry if you want to, but don’t leave your guest without any tunes! (That makes no sense but you get the picture)

You really want to make a mix of old and new and classics. Old – because that way you can belt them out with a group of friends: New – because most people know and it will get the crowd moving. Classics – because no party is complete without the YMCA or the Macarena.
First you need to decide if you are going to make your own music list or hire a DJ. If you are going to hire a DJ, look up your yellow pages and ring around. Ask if you can see a example of a playlist or you might need to choose a play list. Ringing around is important because you want to get a good deal.
It’s important to figure out which music will best suit your party. It would make no sense to have a 60th birthday party with nothing but Lady Gaga and the soundtrack from ‘High School Musical’ playing. Your playlist should also reflect your personality, so include the music YOU like. If you like rap, include a range of rap songs, if you like pop include pop songs. Simple.
Arrange your playlist evenly; start with some pumping modern songs, like ‘Just Dance’ by Lady
Gaga. Then after playing a few of the other songs you have chosen, put in one that gets everybody moving, like ‘Time Warp’ from Rocky Horror.
Ultimately it really is up to you but the rules are: try to blend and keep to the theme.

How to start a Glory Box

The definition of a Glory Box is ‘A lady’s storage box containing items saved for her wedding or married life’ (en.wiktionary.org/wiki/glory_box), but really a glory box could be made for anyone willing to move out of home in the future.
The basics idea of a glory box is to be able to collect items of clothing or household goods so when the time comes to leave home, you already have some or all of the main items. It is great because with a glory box there is not as big as cost when you move out. Having a glory box means you can focus on changing addresses and actually moving.
A Glory box can be started in a number of ways. Mine started with my Kris Kringle at work giving me a set of glasses and tea towels. When staring a Glory box you need to have somewhere to store the goods. Such as an actual chest or somewhere in the garage, but it needs to be all together and organise. A chest would be the best idea, I believe.
Glory boxes can include whatever you want really. Traditionally they include towels, bed linens, table linens and clothing (such as a special dress). If you really want to be prepared put in an iron, kettle, toaster, dinner plates, glasses, anything thing that you think will help. It is also a good idea to keep an eye out for specials on items which can be contributed to your box.
I think that the Glory box is great for someone who wants to leave home as it will help with the initial financial burden of leaving home for the first time.

How to Ignore Someone

Sitting in class I asked a friend, Shari (check out her blog: Radarwhish), is there anything you would like to know how to do. She said ‘How to ignore someone’. So here it is.
There could be many reasons why you might want to ignore someone, maybe they did something to hurt you, could be an ex-boyfriend or girlfriend, silent treatment or you just don’t like them (lame excuse though). Starting to do my research I discovered that the internet has millions of pages dedicated to this (according to Google)
First you need to ask yourself if it is worth ignoring someone as it could really hurt them, if you do have a problem with someone try talking to them first, and ties could be cut forever. (I know it’s a stretch but a simple apology might help). You also need to consider why the person in question did what they did. You can’t ignore someone to make a point; this will not fix the problem. If you can’t put up with them anymore tell them that, there could be less tension if you tell them you need a break.
When telling the person don’t be mean about it but you do need to be firm. If some people do not respond to your whishes stop taking calls from them, block them on msn, and don’t read their emails, simple just stop communicating with them. Don’t bite back with ‘leave me alone’, if they do see you in public and start to cause a scene tell them (nicely) to leave you alone.
If they still are pestering you, seek help. Tell them you have considered harassment and will inform the authorities, however most of the time it will not get to this point.
Rejection is hard for anyone and this person will be angry so you need to understand the consequences. Don’t get others around you to join your ‘side’ or get involved, this will only add to the problem. You might consider letting one of your mutual friends know what is going on and explain you position.
Remember to ask the question, why do I want this person out of my life?
Stop greeting them and don’t respond if they say hello, just walk away. Also never make eye contact with this person, tell them you want to move on.
You also need to forget all the bitter remarks they made/makes about you, might be hard but you also need to move forward, even if that means getting extra help.
Ignoring someone is a very serious situation; if you need professional help (that is if ignoring them will make them turn abusive) seek it!
If you do not wish to ignore someone to the extent of wanting them out of your life, just a simple hello will suffice. If they persist to want to make conversation respond with ‘I’m in a hurry for something’

Overall it’s a touchy subject and I believe that by talking to them most of the time problems will be resolved. If the situation is more serious do seek professional help.

How to create an Invitation

You have an event coming up and want people to come; you will clearly need an invitation.

Depending on the event depends on the style of invitations which you use. However, you firstly need to consider if you want to DIY, buy them from a stationary store or purchase them online.

Come up with a budget (everything always comes down to a budget). Invitations can be costly if you want them to be; really think about if it is worth it (you can create a great invite in ‘Microsoft Word’ for free!).

If you are having a informal birthday (such as a 19th) I suggest using word, but if you are wanting invitations for a wedding, think about getting them made professionally or DIY then with a bit more effort. For example get cream colour paper and put dimanties down one side with black printed writing (makes for a good weekend with girlfriends).

For inspirations, or if you are looking to buy, then look no further than the internet. It will never fail you. I suggest http://www.paperstyle.com/is-bin/ which has a very wide range of invitations. For wedding invitations I would choose http://www.invitationhouse.com.au/. However remember not to copy them word for word! If you want that particular one, just buy it.
For a birthday, the invitation needs to be upbeat, maybe a little over the top (but not to the point of glitter and balloons), such as ‘slamming pimps and hoes are to be at ma house’ or just try searching the internet for examples. If there is a theme, this needs to be portrayed in the invitation. For a wedding something more formal would be more suiting, ‘John and Kayla invite you’.

If you look around you will get an idea of what you can create or what is on offer. Details are a must, if you want people to turn up. It may seem simple, but remember to put who what when where and RSVP.

By now you should have be able to create an invitation that stands out of the crowd.