A Diva’s Guide to Successfully Starting A Home Business
By · CommentsWhether you’re doing this part-time or full time, starting your own homebased business can be exhilarating. Imagine not dealing with a boss or nosy colleagues. You no longer have to cope with office politics or the traffic jams that stress you out early in the morning. However, if this is your first venture into the world of self-employment, you may need the following steps to ensure your success.
Step #1 Develop These Three Traits
Having a home business personality means being organized, self-motivated and independent. Sure you can choose what type of homebased business you want, and you may be able to find one that allows you to sleep late, but these traits will help you no matter what business model you choose. In particular, having a land-based business will require you to organize everything you require to keep your enterprise going. You will need to handle inventory and shipping (if your business model is related to distribution of tangible goods).
Step #2 Decide what type of business suits your needs and personality.
A self-employed lifestyle ensures that you will never run out of things to earn money from. You can choose to set up a transcription business or you can choose to become a massage therapist. If you’re working online, you might want to consider being a ghostwriter or an eBay store owner. The crucial factor involved in deciding what type of business you will set up is your working knowledge of your business’ main selling point. Remember, being an entrepreneur means profiting from your interests, without necessarily sacrificing your personal needs and enjoyment. For instance, your last job involved taking dictation or running errands for your boss, you might want to start a business as a party planner or event organizer. If you’ve always wanted to be a fiction writer, maybe you can get involved in the online publishing industry. You want a business that will last for years, so you need to make sure it revolves around an activity you enjoy.
Step #3 Don’t be scared of technology and other resources available.
One of the major concerns I’ve heard from other women who want to set up a home business is the challenge of handling software and other gadgets. If you don’t have time to learn about all the tools you need to create a website, install a program in your personal computer or increase your system’s security, don’t fret. Helpfiles and beginners forums are available online to help you out. You just need to ask the right questions to get detailed answers. If you don’t know anything about a particular gadget, service or program, feel free to air your concerns to someone who knows how to make it work. Remember, the only stupid question is the one that isn’t asked.
The internet have made starting a home based business possible. Email services make communicating with customers easier. You have to take advantage of these technologies to really succeed in your business. When you’ve learned enough to finally start, you’ll find it easier to plan ahead.
Diva ladies LOVE make up. If you’re like me, you probably have a lot of creams and powders in all colors. The problem is some make ups expire faster than others, and some can’t thrive in hot weather. Sometimes, you can even forget about one item completely because the color doesn’t suit you. It lies at the bottom of your drawer collecting dust and what-not.
This spring, go through your arsenal and and throw away the make up that you don’t use or have never used at all. To make your life easier, quickly scribble the date of purchase at the back of each item to remind yourself that you have to consume the product before long. Usually, make ups have expiry dates on them, and you should take note of these. Keeping your makeup longer can cause serious problems, as they can accumulate bacteria that can harm your skin.
Personally, I keep powder-type makeup for only 1-2 years, and these include blush and eye shadow. Liquid make up should stay with you for a year (I don’t have a problem with these because they’re easier to consume than powder counterparts). Nail polish is usually good for a year, if kept in a cool, dry place away from direct sunlight. Mascaras should be disposed of after six months, or as soon as they form icky, cake-y substances when applied.
How About Herbal stuff? Organic make up or those containing herbs and extracts should be well maintained and you should keep these in a separate container, away from your collection of brand name creams, lotions, soaps and perfumes. Although it breaks the heart to get rid of organic make up, it’s advisable to do so when they start losing their scent.
and other toiletries, as well. If they are half gone and rarely used, losing their scent, or have changed texture, it is time to throw them away. Even things that are unopened that won’t be used should be given away or thrown in the trash. Once everything is sorted through and cleaned out, it can be put back in the cabinet, where it belongs.
If you use the area under the sink for storage, make sure that you are using containers to keep all of your products organized. This will make things easier to find and will prevent everything from rolling out when you open the cabinet door.
Now, the up side of spring cleaning and getting rid of old make up is this: you will learn a valuable lesson on retail therapy. Think about all the ‘expired’ make up you threw time before you buy new cosmetics.
Giada de Laurentiis: My Fave Cooking Diva is Blogging
By · CommentsOne thing I like about twitter is the number of celebrities we see there. Right now I’m following the Kutcher couple, PDiddy, Ellen, and now, Giada de Laurentiis! Giada has a blog that she just launched, but she won’t be updating soon (aawww!). Check out her hiatus entry:
Finally, Easter is around the corner. For Italians, it’s one of the biggest holidays other than Christmas! I’m really excited to celebrate Jade’s first Easter. We are going to have a big family get- together. Jade will get to play with all her cousins and run around during our big Easter egg hunt (with my favorite chocolate Easter eggs of course!) Easter is also going to be the premier of the second season of Giada at Home. Look for the “Spring Fling” episode- so check it out! I hope you enjoyed this newsletter! I will be writing again in June!
Her Everyday Italian recipes have seen me through my single girl days. They’re much EASIER to follow than anyone else’s, including Rachel Ray. In fact, I think I started cooking because of her (if a gorgeous Italian diva can cook pasta like that, I can too!).
Giada de Laurentiis’ other books include Giada’s Kitchen, Giada’s Family Dinners and Everyday Pasta (another must-have).
Prom Dresses: Smart Shopping for the Prom
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diva prom dress
A diva is empowered in her own joy, and has fun in any event. When prom time comes, beautiful young divas are more than likely to get stressed about the little things that don’t really matter in the end. First, let’s put everything into perspective. A prom is a way to connect with your friends and classmates. It is a celebration of youth and the special bond between young couples.
It is something that you will remember for the rest of your life, so you shouldn’t get stressed worrying about your outfit and accessories. Browsing online with your best friend or a female relative can be relaxing too, and there are some really lovely prom dresses and prom shoes (from promgirl.net) to look at while you’re planning your fabulous prom ensemble.
On promgirl.net you will see various shades of elegant colors like pink (soft, light and dark), red (candy red and dark red), black (metallic and matte), and pastel colors (my favorite!). The shoes on that site are beautifully designed and are extremely complementary to the gowns you will see there.
Relax, take a deep breath, take a carefree trip to the mall, or consult with your mom for some helpful prom tips (and to hear more prom advice and her own unforgettable prom stories). Get a prom dress that suits your build (make sure you get the size right!)
Not all divas are built the same. Some may have short torsos (relative to their legs) and some may have longer legs. Whatever your build, you must choose gowns that complement your figure. Get real with yourself and look at the mirror. Do you really have a build that’s close to a supermodel’s?
Some young divas diet like crazy before the prom, just so they will fit into the tiny clothes they bought. Getting desperate about your figure because you bought a dress that’s a few sizes smaller than the actual is the number one stress factor during prom season. “I’ll fit inside this dress no matter what”, yes we’ve heard it before.
The rule of thumb is to get something that fits you perfectly and work to maintain that build (so that you won’t gain much weight) until prom time.
Do not choose something that you want to wear just because someone else (like your favorite celebrity) is able to pull it off. You are unique, and your proportions are also unique. Choose something that fits so that you won’t be stressed the whole night thinking about bulges and creases (where you folded your ill-fitting gown to make it fit). There are hundreds of prom dresses to choose from, and for sure one is meant exactly for you, like kismet!
Have fun on your prom. Remember that you’re young and happy, and should look and feel like the diva that you are.
As soon as young girls attend their first wedding (as guests or as flower girls), they start dreaming about their own wedding. They daydream all day about what they will wear, the color of the bridesmaid dresses, the number of wedding cake tiers and what their grooms will look like (strangely enough, he looks a lot like the prince in Cinderella!).
Young divas will always dream big and a significant part of these daydreams actually come true when the real wedding arrives. Divas with better creativity and an active imagination will go beyond the wedding gown and plan for bridal flowers, limo service, and ensembles for the whole entourage.
You know how the most conventional bridal dresses are almost always white (or peachy, pinkish white)? Most women will concentrate on the design and the small details rather than the color of the bridal gown because that was pre-picked already! But, before you think too much tradition will make your wedding boring, you must realize that there are other ways of showing your creative side during the planning phase, such as choosing the most elegant bridesmaid dresses ever!
The Perfect Bridesmaid Dress
The perfect bridesmaid dress will help set off the bride’s gown. If it’s in a color that’s a shade darker than the bridal gown, the bride will literally glow when she’s standing beside her bridesmaids. Think of the bridesmaids as the bride’s “accessories” and you’ll see my point. The maidens must wear gowns that complement the bridal gown, without clashing with the wedding’s main motif.
You and your friends can gather one Saturday evening (or during the Bachelorette’s party) and start planning your ensembles using the tools provided on this website. Let me demonstrate how we can use the tools they have on this site to choose the perfect design for bridesmaid dresses.
1. Colors – Using the handy color picker, select the exact shade you want and click the corresponding box.
I chose turquoise, also known as “Tiffany Blue”. The bridesmaid dresses in that exact shade will come up and you can choose the dress length and cut you want.
2. Dress Length – Most dresses on this site will have knee-length and floor length versions.
Q: Should you go for the short dress or the long one?
A: It depends on the design of the bridal gown. If the bride is wearing a floor length gown, the bridesmaids should wear the same length.
3. Dress Design – So, which style is more appealing to you: the fun and funky one, or the demure and formal one?
I love both styles! In fact, if I were the bride, I‘d buy two sets for the bridesmaids! One for the ceremony; and the other one for partying that same night (while the bride’s on her honeymoon having fun herself!).
These bridesmaid dresses are really sophisticated and chic, and you can spend all day just mixing and matching colors, and planning around the styles you choose.
