Monday 25 July 2011

Style, Comfort and Practicality in Equal Measure For a Great Night’s Sleep

It’s worth remembering how as living creatures, we depend on sleep to function = it’s vitally important. Not only does sleep give the body the chance to rest and undergo cell renewal, but it generally allows us to recharge the batteries. Experts say that to to be on top of your game throughout the day, a person needs around 8 hours of solid, uninterrupted sleep.

So, with the act of sleeping so important, it’s worth ensuring you’re as comfortable as you can be with the right set of womens nightwear.
If traditional is more your style then you’ve come to the right place. We provide a variety of elegant and feminine two-piece pyjamas for the ultimate in comfort and practicality. From floral knitted long sleeve pyjama suits, knitted jersey Bermuda (with Bermuda style bottoms) and polly cotton jersey knits, to pure combed cotton fine rib knit and long sleeve tollie print, we have pyjama styles to meet any taste.


But our product range certainly doesn’t just stop at ladies pyjamas. No way. Ideal for wearing during hot summer evenings and nights, we also provide a wealth of beautiful nightdresses from mid and full-length sleeveless and long sleeve numbers, to quaint strappy or strapped style chemise. So, whether it’s cotton or fleece, we’re sure you’ll agree, there’ something for everyone.

Of course, anyone’s nightwear wardrobe wouldn’t be complete without a good quality morning gown, robe or seersucker wrapover. Not only do they keep you warm in the winter, but they also allow you to modestly step out in a bit of style and class. Have a look online at our dressing gown range.
For something completely different, we also sell sassy kaftans which offer the perfect balance between, comfort, style and keeping you cool. From, sturdy cotton-polyester designs to subtle embroidered, satin-trim variants in popular colours, we’ve got it covered.

So head over to ecornershop.co.uk where you’ll be greeted with a range of on-trend, quality and affordable womens nightwear, which is perfect not only for you, but as birthday and Christmas gifts for loved ones as well.

Simple Ways to Keep Warmer This Winter

We’ve all been there, waiting on the platform, anxiously shuffling our feet to keep warm as that winter chill bites hard. Because you’re standing still longer and you’re not benefiting from the heat generated from the muscles, your outer extremities succumb to the cold far easier. It’s even worse if you’re someone who suffers from bad circulation. Cold is your worst enemy.

An often overlooked remedy to this is thermal underwear. Equipping yourself with such garments is an efficient and simple way of giving your body that extra helping hand. That way, the most expensive, thickest coat you can find to keep you warm may not be as necessary.



Of course, first things first, if you’ve got children then you’ll want to get them sorted. After all, those walks to school in the winter can be treacherous to say the least, and they’ll want more than just Ready Break to keep them warm. Long sleeve, short sleeve and sleeveless thermal vests are available for boys (black and white colours) and girls (White and pink colours) so you can have the little ones fully kitted out in no time at all.

For adults, though, there’s a bit more diversity in the number of choices available. You can take the hassle of needing to buy separate thermals by choosing an all-in-on thermal body suite instead. These fit all over and simply button up, offering great insulation and convenience.

Or, you can go for separates which allow you to mix and match styles and particular preferences. You could decide on tight-fitting long and short sleeve vests, with various styles for the bottom half of your body such as long Johns or long Janes for women. If however, you want more freedom of movement or you don’t want to cover all your legs up, then trunk-style bottoms or ¾ length long johns are the best options.

Friday 22 July 2011

Jigsaw Puzzles, Great for Toddler Development

There are some great age appropriate jigsaw puzzles available for your tot. Jigsaw puzzles and learning puzzles can help with a number of learning areas including motor skills, reasoning, and problem solving skills as well. You can buy jigsaw puzzles online and there are thousands of different puzzles to choose from.

Small children can benefit from puzzle play in many different ways, such as learning and for entertainment purposes as well. They are one of the greatest learning toys you can invest in for small kids and if you take good care of them, you can pass them on to younger siblings, to cousins, or to family friends. Read on for some helpful information about doing puzzles with your child.




Doing puzzles together with little ones builds an interest in the problem solving attributes jigsaw puzzles bring. Smaller children generally enjoying doing new things, such as learning activities, with a parent first. It's a great one on one activity to do with your kids. It may begin with you showing your toddler how to put puzzle pieces together and before long your little one may choose to lead the way and eventually do the activity on their own.

There are some simple but stimulating puzzle options for small children that include board puzzles where numbers or letters are put into slots. By talking about the puzzle and identifying pieces you'll help develop early reading and letter / number recognition skills. Some puzzles can help with other areas as well, such as geography, telling time, learning about anatomy, nursery rhymes, alphabet letters, numbers, animals, and more.

If your child seems uninterested at first, don't give up. It may take a few attempts before the interest grows and /or before the skill is mastered. Once your child has done a puzzle several times you may want to rotate that activity so that he or she doesn't grow bored with it too quickly. Many parents will also share puzzles with other families and rotate these educational activities so that a puzzle that has been played with numerous times will get to be enjoyed by others. Keeping them in their box and encouraging kids to put them away promptly after play minimises lost pieces and the frustration of dealing with trying to complete a puzzle and realising you don't have all the pieces.

As your child grows, more advanced options exist to build on learning skills or to help promote new skills. And, puzzles can also entertain, as well, with your child's favourite hobby or television character.

Jigsaw Puzzles can keep your mind young!

Even with the state of the world and a whole lot of technical ways of entertaining ourselves, jigsaw puzzles are not obsolete. Why? They're fun, they work the brain, and there's something tangible at the end of your hard work. There are some great benefits of doing jigsaw puzzles for the whole family. Whether you are 3 or 100, a puzzle is a productive use of your spare time and a great catalyst for some couple or family bonding time. If you haven't done a puzzle in a while, why not look at the options? And you can buy jigsaw puzzles online with loads of choices.

Great for Problem Solving

Doing a jigsaw puzzle promotes using your brain. Puzzles are great for stretching your imagination. You need to plan, problem solve, and as you see a puzzle coming together, it's really rewarding. The problem solving skills that puzzles promote are great for people of all ages. They can be educational and provide kids with reasoning and problem solving skills and they also help elderly people keep their mind active. For parents, it's a great time to spend time with the whole family in a way that doesn't rely on technology.




Family Time

Families who do jigsaw puzzles together can enjoy great family bonding time. This can be great for a rainy day or for game nights. Sure, you might already do family movie night and / or a board game. But spending time together doing puzzles can also be a great time for talking and staying in touch.

Wall Art

After the puzzle is done you can put it away for another day, pass it on to a family friend (people who love puzzles often do a puzzle exchange), or you can hang it on a wall. Framing a jigsaw you've done together is something you can do proudly.

Plenty of Options

Today, there are more puzzle options than ever. You can buy small board options for children, to help them develop skills with reading, matching, reasoning, and so on. There are small character options for kids, of their favourite super heroes or cartoon characters. You'll also find a number of gorgeous landscape options. Beyond that, today there are 3-D puzzles as well. Whether you want something with just a few hundred pieces or are feeling really ambitious and want to do one with thousands of pieces.

Worried that you'll start a puzzle but take ages to finish? That's ok. You can buy jigsaw puzzle storage accessories to help you keep progress without taking up too much room. If you do it on the table and want to whisk it away until later, you can buy mats that help you roll it away until you're ready to work on it some more.

Think thermal when keeping warm this winter

It’s never too early to sort out your clothing for the autumn and winter months. You want to know that when the time comes, you’ll be ready for anything mother nature can throw at you no matter what you’re doing.
Of course, there’s an extensive range of outer clothing such as wind resistant and water resistant coats, hats, gloves and scarves for you to pick from, and these clearly are important.

But, it is often overlooked how vital it is to get the foundations right with quality, insulating underwear to help keep your body and limbs snug and warm.

There’s a whole raft of products vying for your attention in this sector and it can be difficult to really know what it is you want or even need. So, whether you require men’s thermal underwear, women’s thermal underwear or children’s thermal underwear, our guide will help you make the right choice.

If you just want the basics, to keep you warm on the commute to work, say, then a well fitting thermal vest is the sensible approach. You can take your pick from long and short sleeve while for for men, there are grandad-collard variants as well. A thermal vest is tight enough to your skin and of a thin enough material to not interfere with your everyday work attire.
However, if good honest adventure is more your thing, whether it’s a hiking expedition or a fishing trip, perhaps – you want all the bases covered.



You can compliment your thermal vest-equipped upper torso with a variety of styles and types for your lower body. These include long Johns or long Janes for women, and if you feel you want less restriction you can even decide on ¾ length long johns or ditch them entirely in favour for trunks. Perhaps you want an all-in-one which slips on like a suite and buttons up at the front for convenient, full body coverage?


For the children it’s a similar story with long sleeve, short sleeve and sleeveless thermal vests available for boys (black and white colours) and girls (White and pink colours).

Whatever your thermal underwear needs, be sure to check out www.ecornershop.co.uk for the very best choice and unbeatable prices.

Designer Flowers Make Any Occasion Truly Special

An arrangement of designer flowers, or ‘floral art’, is the perfect enrichment for every type of special occasion: birthdays; anniversaries; weddings; corporate events; social gatherings; award ceremonies and dinners; to name but a few.

Delivered with elegance, sophistication, wit . . . whatever mood you seek to impart, a bespoke arrangement of designer flowers will convey your message intuitively like no other gift can:

“I love you”, “Congratulations”, “Good Luck”, “Get Well Soon”, “Sympathy”, “New Home”, “Sorry”, “Thank You” “Marry me!” Whatever you want to say, whomever you want to say it to, your designer florist will express your intent through the magic of flower power!

Designer flowers are a genuine art form created by talented florists, such as desmond Talbot the London florists who emanate a real passion and flair for their art. Whether you’re seeking something traditional, contemporary, quirky, funky or chic, when you’re looking for an original arrangement as a gift, or as the centrepiece of your celebration or function, designer flowers can provide a memorable talking point long after your occasion or event is over.

Designer flowers are also the perfect solution for corporate clients seeking an exclusive, innovative look that complements and reinforces their brand identity, with an air of subtlety and London event florists such as Desmond Talbot keep busy providing dispays for corporate clients. They’re ideal for brightening up offices, reception areas and showrooms – in fact, any location where welcoming customers is an important consideration. They make a particularly suitable investment for boutique hotels, luxury spas, restaurants, private members clubs, arts and music venues and interior design professionals.



Designer flowers are ideal for corporate events such as company conferences, product launches and exhibitions – any event where you need to create an instant and lasting impression.

Many designer florists offer private consultations to contract buyers and will happily visit your venue or place of work free of charge to assess your requirements and offer the best creative solutions for you and your company.

Did you also know flowers can attract positive ‘chi’ through the principles of feng shui? Whilst dried or artificial flowers symbolise decay and lifelessness, feng shui practitioners say that filling your home with fresh flowers will ensure a good energy flow and with it, a sense of calmness and balance. If you work from home and have a home-office with lots of electronic equipment, you should opt for green round-leaf plants or tropical plants which act as air-purifiers, absorbing harmful toxins and replacing them with oxygen. Purer air increases productivity!

As with other forms of art, an innovative, bespoke designer flower arrangement equals a sound investment. The freshest seasonal flowers and aromatic foliage, combined with your chosen designer’s flair, care and attention to detail makes for a heady combination that lingers long in the senses.

What could be better than a ‘living, breathing work of art’ to show off your home or business to best effect?

How to Choose the Perfect Wedding Flowers for Your Big Day

How soon should you start planning your wedding flowers?
Sooner than you think. The ideal time is 12-18 months before the day of your wedding.

Why so early?


Because if you want your chosen florist to create your dream arrangement for the biggest date on your calendar, then they will need plenty of notice. The majority of florists are only able to cater for one wedding per weekend, and you don’t want to end up disappointed.

As the bride, all eyes will be upon you. Your wedding flowers will provide the ‘wow factor’ that will set the tone for the entire occasion, from complementing your wedding gown perfectly, to providing the right ambience at the reception. In addition, wedding flowers often provide the focal point for your professional photographs.

Just as you will inevitably spend hours choosing the right dress and venue for possibly the most important day of your life, so it’s vital to devote plenty of time to making sure your wedding flower arrangements are simply stunning too.

This is where the services of a professional floral design team can prove invaluable. And here’s how you can help them do a first class job for you:
Once you have decided on your budget, it’s a good idea to use a mood board or scrapbook to capture your ‘wedding flowers’ thoughts. Ideas can be gleaned from weddings magazines, the Internet, friends and family.

When you visit your wedding venue, take along a camera or camcorder so you can keep in mind the colour scheme. Also it would be helpful to show your chosen florist an image of your dress and one of your bridesmaids’ dresses if possible. If you don’t have a photograph, a sketch will suffice. Fabric swatches are also helpful.

Check out florists near to your wedding venue and make a shortlist of several to interview. When you phone to make an appointment the first thing you should ask if whether they are free on your chosen day. Also confirm that the consultation will be free.

If you are planning to have flowers for your hair, it is useful to take along a picture of your proposed hairstyle. It’s also a good idea to have a trial run through with your hairdresser before the big day, so any refinements can be put in place.

When you arrive at your consultation be mindful of your first impressions. Is the florist’s shop clean and orderly? Are the staff friendly? Is the person you are meeting the same person who will be responsible for creating your wedding flowers? If not, when can you meet that person?




What to ask your shortlisted florists:

- Having seen my ideas, colours and themes, what types of flowers would you suggest?
- Does my budget work for you? If not, can you offer any alternatives without me having to compromise on style?
- Do you have any examples of work that you have done that is similar in style to the flowers that I have chosen?
- Would you be willing to visit my wedding venue with me to see how the wedding flowers might work in the space?
- What are the hottest trends in wedding flowers at the moment? Can you recommend anything that might suit my wedding?
- Is there anything I’ve forgotten to ask?
- Would you like to ask me anything?

The earlier you start planning your wedding flowers the better, in London - you could contact desmond Talbot they are wedding flowers london designers.. Knowing you have your first choice florist on your team means you can relax and enjoy your wedding day, safe in the knowledge they will do everything within their power to make your wedding day a magical experience for you, your partner and your guests.

Monday 11 July 2011

What a Debt Management Company Can Do For You

If you are struggling to pay even the minimum payments on your credit cards, unsecured loans or even department store cards, a debt management company can help. With the guidance of a debt counsellor, the once daunting task of becoming debt free becomes more realistic and attainable.



Feeling the stress of mounting bills with no end in sight can be emotionally and physically draining. Financial problems are one of the leading causes of health problems and divorce. If you are struggling to keep your family and health intact, it is important to face your debt head on instead of burying your head in the sand and avoiding the telephone each time it rings.

What a Debt Counsellor Can Do for You

When bankruptcy starts to look like an attractive option, look to a debt management company first for help. Trained and licensed UK debt counsellors can provide you with advice and plenty of options in your current financial situation. If you can devise a plan to pay off your creditors with the help of a debt counsellor, you just might be able to save your credit history and avoid bankruptcy.

A debt counsellor will sit down with you and go over each and every bill you pay. They will help you prioritize your financial responsibilities and work with creditors to stop the harassing phone calls. In fact, your counsellor may be able to help write off up to 65-75% of your debt, depending on your creditors. During this negotiating process with them, the interest rates and other charges on your unsecured debt such as credit cards will be frozen. This means you will no longer be able to use them.

You should be able to keep your home and even your car with the help of a debt counsellor. They negotiate payment plans with creditors that are affordable for your budget but will also effectively lower your debt so you could be debt-free within a few years, depending on your balances.

Peace of Mind

Once you have worked with your debt counsellor and have a payment plan in place, something amazing happens. You develop peace of mind. Knowing your finances are taken care of along with a goal and timeframe of being debt free can revitalize your life. With the tools your counsellor teaches you, you will also learn the tricks to saving money and avoid incurring new debt. How you spend your money is not just something you learn, it is also a way of life.

If you find yourself in dire straits with your finances, get the help you need. With the right debt consolidation company, you could be well on your way to financial freedom.

How Using the Services of a Website Security Consultancy Can Prevent Hackers Defrauding Your Business

You wouldn’t advertise your name, address and credit card details on the main page of your website would you?

Yet that’s as good as what you are doing when you hand over your personal details to a website that has ‘critical vulnerabilities.’

Consider for a moment: what would happen to your business if you fell victim to data theft or fraud? Your reputation could be compromised as a result of the unwelcome publicity. You would almost certainly lose customers or clients. How would this unfortunate incident impact on your ‘bottom line’?

If you’re a company that does business online, you owe it to your customers to protect their valuable data by ensuring your website is as secure from fraudsters as it possibly can be.

Website security is one of the major considerations consumers take into account before sharing their personal details online. In recent times, people have become more aware of the dangers of sharing their personal information with ‘faceless’ corporate websites which may offer them little protection from unscrupulous hackers.
The good news is these dangers are, in the main, preventable.

A security audit by an established website security consultancy will identify areas of vulnerability and weakness in your company’s website and resolve these issues before trouble strikes.

It is advisable to have your website checked out by someone other than your web developer.

Why?

Because your web developer is too close to the project and is unlikely to pick up anything he’s overlooked the first time round. It’s like proof-reading your own reports. Isn’t it always easier to find glaring mistakes in a document someone else has written, rather than something you have written yourself?

A professional website security consultancy will run automated and manual tests on your web applications to ensure everything is as secure as it possibly can be. Any security issues picked up will be dealt with.




The benefits of having your website professionally audited are:

• If you undertake monetary transactions online you will satisfy the mandatory industry requirements of the Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard (PCI DSS), which necessitates all enterprise and Web applications handling credit card and account information to undertake an extensive audit of custom application code.
• Customers will feel more secure about doing business with you.
• You will be more relaxed about your business’s culpabilities knowing that your website and the data associated with it is as safe as you can possible make it.

How Custom Software Developers Can Supercharge Your Business Growth

Bespoke software developers are an essential requirement for today’s get-ahead businesses, seeking to convert more visitors to their website into long-term customers.

A good custom software development company will help you:

• Reduce future costs associated with computer applications and IT software.
• Create a user-friendly experience that will encourage your visitors to spend more time on your website – and come back!
• Provide access to your ‘shop window’ from anywhere in the world.
• Track site visitors and their behavioural patterns, helping you regulate your offerings and multiply your conversion rates.
• Give your business a competitive edge in an increasingly overcrowded marketplace.

If you’ve ever bought software that didn’t turn out to be as user-friendly as you’d imagined, or didn’t fit the needs of your business, you’ll know how frustrating an experience it is. You can waste hours trying to get to grips with it.




The main benefit of employing a custom software developer is that you’ll be provided with tailor-made IT solutions for your organisation, designed to fit in with your present marketing strategy – with no compromises.

Some of the benefits of custom software over packaged software are:

• The ability to create unique solutions in line with your business processes, rather than moulding your processes to fit the software.
• Able to specify your requirements to a precise degree.
• You won’t be paying for features you won’t use.
• Trivial and repetitive tasks can be automated.
• Training requirements can be built in to the cost of the package, eliminating the need to hire outside training support.
• No additional license fees or restrictions on the amount of users, unlike with the majority of packaged software.
• Software is designed to evolve in line with your growing business.

How Your Company Can Save Time and Money with E-recruitment

Let’s face it, finding precisely the right candidates to fill your job vacancies can be excessively time-consuming and costly, what with advertising fees, agency fees and administration costs.



E-recruitment developers can make the whole process of finding new staff easier by creating an online recruitment solution for your business that fits your requirements perfectly.

Benefits of using e-recruitment for the employer:

1. Savings of up to 50% compared with offline recruitment costs.

Cost savings are typically achieved through:

 Reducing the number of off and online media advertisements placed.
 Creating smaller advertisements directing candidates to the recruitment site.
 Gaining candidates for free direct from the website.
 Reduced or nullified agency fees.

2. Hiring time slashed by up to 60%.

Implementing

Mobile Commerce: Your Gateway to Today’s ‘On Demand’ Generation of Consumers

What exactly do we mean by the term: ‘mobile commerce’?


Essentially, mobile commerce relates to two concepts: ecommerce on mobile devices and payments presented and processed on mobile devices.
So what are the benefits to the retailer in adopting a mobile platform for commerce/ payment transactions?

Quite simply, mobile commerce developers can help you reach many more people interested in your company, its products and services. Millions of people globally access the World Wide Web every day via smart cell phones and other hand-held remote devices and that number is growing all the time. It is predicted that by 2012 one per cent of all transactions in the US next year will be via a mobile device. Currently it is estimated that 82 per cent of Americans never leave home without their mobile phone.

Mobile commerce satisfies the expectation of the current generation’s desire for on-demand consumption – if your business website doesn’t facilitate remote users, then you risk losing out to a rival whose business does.

A m-commerce developer can provide you with bespoke solutions for:

 Mobile applications
 Mobile shopping
 Mobile payments
 Mobile advertising and marketing

And customers can use mobile technology to:

• Buy tickets: travel tickets; cinema tickets; event tickets.
• Make a restaurant reservation.
• Book a hotel.
• Choose and send gifts.
• Purchase CDs/DVDs/ computer games.
• Purchase Software.
• Sign up for a subscription service.
And plenty more . . .

Mobile commerce enables you to create stronger loyalty for your brand and improve your one-on-one marketing communications, which in turn will impact positively on your conversion rates.

For example, mobile coupons can be used to provide an ongoing dialogue between your brand and potential customers. Juniper Research states that almost $7 billion of coupon discounts will be redeemed by the end of 2011. And according to eMarketer, mobile marketing and advertising is projected to exceed $1 billion in the next two years.

Whether or not you have yet considered a mobile commerce solution for your business, the fact is, more and more customers are buying Smartphones, and many of those will be looking to make purchases with them.

The beauty of mobile commerce is that it can seamlessly integrate with your current management and payment progressing systems without you having to change the way you work. What’s more, your system remains up-to-date 24/7.

As an online retailer there is a huge opportunity to launch mobile retail sites and apps and to gain a head start on your competitors in this channel.
Now that’s worth considering.

Friday 1 July 2011

Magnetic Business Signs: Going Beyond the Car Door

Most people are familiar with magnetic business signs because they commonly see them on car doors. They're a cheaper alternative to having your whole car custom painted with your company logo and photograph, and some would say a more tactful way of promoting your business to a potential client base. But there are more ways to use magnetic signs than to just stick them on your car door. And since some people are worried about visibility of car magnets, taking different avenues when magnetically advertising is a great way to increase visibility without having to stick six magnets on your car.

Work with Other Businesses

One way to use magnets is to use them in partnership with other businesses. If you are an independent distributor of certain products, find out if a complementary business would be willing to place small magnetic business signs on their counter for customers to take. Maybe you sell hair supplies and accessories. Find out if a local gymnastics or dance studio would be willing to set your magnets out for the girls who take gym and dance. This way you aren't directly competing with the business, but you are offering a product that many dancers and gymnasts use – hair bands and barrettes.

You can even advertise through a completely unrelated business. See if a locally-owned pizza parlor would be willing to include a magnet on their delivery boxes. The larger chains do their own advertising, but a smaller place may be willing to negotiate something in exchange for free advertising from you.

Attend Local Business Shows

Often there will be business shows for entrepreneurs in the local area to attend for marketing purposes. Give everyone who enquires about your business a small magnet. People are more likely to keep marketing materials if they don't get in the way or cause clutter. Since many freebies are given at business events, a person will get home, see the magnet, and slap it on the fridge or some other place, but most of the brochures and business cards will probably get tossed out in order to avoid clutter.

Consider Direct Mail


If you have the budget, consider a direct mail campaign, targeting only those clients you know have expressed an interest in your business or one similar in the past. This way you don't waste money mailing to people who will never take advantage of your service or product. Include a small business sign in the mailer that has your business name and contact information on it. If you just send a brochure or flyer, chances are it will get tossed in the trash. If you send a flyer accompanied by a magnet, you have a better chance of attracting clients.





There are a number of ways to market your company with a sign. However, it's using effective marketing techniques that make the business signs a good advertising tool especially magnetic signs for vans and cars.

Learn English Online at Your Own Pace

The English language is spoken in many countries and whether you're English-speaking or not, learning to use a language effectively can help you in any aspect of your daily life. From a business perspective, it's very advantageous to be fluent in English both for written as well as for oral communication --- especially in the current day and age where digital communication can make a big impact on your success.

You can easily learn English online with Internet classes and online tutorials that are designed both for native speakers who want to boost their skills as well as to help non-native speakers learn or perfect the language.

For many people, the thought of going to an English class isn't appealing. This is where online programmes can be of great benefit. They can help with various aspects of learning and perfecting the language. It has been said that English is the one of the most difficult languages to learn, but with an online program you can practise from the comfort of a computer.

How These Programs Work

There is a variety of distance language learning websites that offer to teach non-native speakers the language as well as to help those with English speaking skills improve their written communication. Some of these sites use interactive tutorials where you listen to the language being spoken and then answer a question. Others offer printables, lessons, and or a way to record your own voice to hear yourself use the language.

Using Online and Printed Resources

If you're looking to get a well-rounded education in the English language, you may want to use your online program in conjunction with a printed workbook or printable pages from a website. This way you are able to hear and see the language being used, which reinforces the rules of sentence structure and grammar.

In some cases, people find that they either read or write a foreign language best, followed by the speaking. Others find that it's easier to speak than it is to read or write. Using a variety of methods allows you to learn English online, while also learning the mechanics of reading and writing.



Taking steps to learn English online can lead to many new opportunities for you from travel, business, and other perspectives. Whether you live in an English-speaking country or would benefit from improved communications with one, using the web to your advantage can help you do so at a convenient pace for your needs. For English lessons in Leicester the MABT college run a wide range of different English courses.

The Manufacturing Process For Jigsaw Puzzles

It usually takes a few months worth of hours to make jigsaw puzzles. This seems like quite a lengthy process but once you see what goes into it, you will appreciate it, particularly if you're a puzzle aficionado. A lot of people enjoy doing jigsaws and there are some really intresting ones out there with varying levels of challenge.

1. Printing & Laminating

The first thing that is done in prepping to create a puzzle is that artwork is selected. This is often done via lithography, which utilises a plate that has been specially treated in order to absorb either water or oil. The same lithography sheet can be used for making several puzzles, thus saving on paper and press time. Once the litho sheets have been printed, they are laminated and allowed to dry for several days before being sent to a die cut press.

Die Cut Press

Die cutting of puzzle pieces allows for the mass production. This is done with a sharp and flat metal ribbon. These are then sent to a rule-bend expert in order to have razor sharp steel rules bent into them so as to create the actual puzzle pieces. You can imagine the time it takes to make a 1000 piece puzzle! This calls for extremely high pressure to be used.

Packaging

After the jigsaw puzzles are done at the die press, the sheets make their way to a breaker whose job it is to separate these pieces and then make sure that they are put into their packaging, which is usually some type of a cardboard box. Today, these boxes will usually feature a picture of what the puzzle will look like once it is completed, so that you can use it as a guide for when you are putting the puzzle together. This is a feature that manufacturers began utilizing in the mid-1930's. Once these puzzles are packaged, they are shrink wrapped and then shipped to be sold to the general public.




A puzzle can be a great gift. You'll find them in all sizes and styles and you'll find accessories, such as puzzle mats, that can be rolled away for mealtimes, etcetera. It's helpful for a child's development, can be a great family project, and if you have a hobbyist in your life, it's often possible to find a great jigsaw puzzle that would appeal to their hobby.

‘Recycled’ Roof Solutions for the Eco-Conscious Home Owner

If you’re looking to upgrade your property’s roof and you’re looking for something that’s as easy on the planet as it is on your budget, here are some options you might like to consider:

Green Roof

This is a unique environmental initiative for improving outdoor air quality while enhancing urban landscapes and communities. A green roof is an alternative roofing concept which can be achieved by growing a low-lying, specifically designed roof garden. Green roofs also absorb solar radiation and carbon dioxide, making them a safer environment for the property's inhabitants, while increasing your home’s market value.

Rubber Shingles

Using the latest technology, plastic bags, rubber tyres and other recycled materials, are transformed into roofing which is durable and long-lasting. Not only are recycled tyre roof shingles considerably lighter and cheaper than the standard roofing materials, they are excellent insulators, can withstand 80 mph winds and can complement your home’s character perfectly.

Recycled Metal Roofing

Metal roofing, otherwise known as a ‘Cool Roof’, is another excellent example of alternative roofing for the environmentally conscious. These steel roofs are a great choice for home owners in hotter climes as they can make a considerable difference to energy bills. And metal roofing naturally repels light rays reducing the overall indoor temperature of the home. The amount of recyclable material in a metal roof can vary considerably according to the product manufacturer, so it’s worth shopping around to find the most eco-conscious solution for you.

Solar Power PV Shingles

Solar shingles, also called photovoltaic shingles, are solar cells which harness the power of the sun without the need for bulky solar panels. Resembling typical asphalt shingles, solar shingles first became commercially available in 2005 and are popular for their aesthetic appeal as well as their functionality.




And a couple of Eco options you possibly hadn’t considered:

In Pernambuco, Brazil, toothpaste tubes are recycled into eco-friendly roof tiles. The aluminium and plastic tubes are crushed by machines, combined with resins and ‘baked’ at high temperatures, to produce light and water-resistant boards and sheets that are used as building materials.

Some forty thousand tiles are manufactured monthly, each one made from 1,000 empty toothpaste tubes. The tiles are highly weather resistant and more cost-effective than tiles made of clay, steel or aluminium. They do not conduct heat and are less noisy than metal in inclement weather!

The UK’s first nappy-recycling plant opened in Birmingham in 2010. Almost three billion disposable nappies end up in landfill sites each year and the plastic from this unlikely source is now transformed into roof tiles, decking and cladding!

How Green is Your Home’s Roof? Measuring and Reducing Your Roof’s Carbon Footprint

What exactly do we mean by the phrase ‘carbon footprint’?
In its simplest terms, a carbon footprint is the sum total of greenhouse gas emissions caused by an organisation, event, product or person. Greenhouse gases are emitted through a variety of sources including roads, transport, land activity, manufactured goods, materials, buildings and services.

For ease of comparison and reporting, carbon footprint is often stated in terms of the amount of carbon dioxide (or CO2) emitted through the combustion of fossil fuels.

So how does all this relate to your roof?

Your roof’s carbon footprint is made up from the sum of its components including the production of the raw materials, delivery to the factory, manufacture, distribution and installation.

Carbon footprint also relates to the performance of your roof once installed, and consideration must be given as to what will happen at the end of your roof’s natural life, for example, whether the materials are suitable for recycling. It is also judged on its ability to utilise renewable sources of energy such as rain, wind, or solar power.

The ‘greenest’ roofs (and therefore the most eco-friendly), are those which impact least on the environment in terms of their construction and ongoing performance.

Taking natural slate as an example, the raw materials themselves are excavated from the earth. However, up to 95 per cent of the excavated material ends up as waste because it is not suitable for purpose. Another important consideration is that these customary roofing materials often travel thousands of miles before reaching their final destination, impacting harshly on our natural environment.




The fact is, these types of traditional roofing materials cannot compete with modern recyclable tiling products in terms of eco-friendliness. As you would expect, plastic roof tiles which are recyclable and which use low-energy production methods, require short transportation in terms of miles and offer a long and useful life, score highest in the ‘green’ stakes.

As well as being popular with building professionals because of their ease of installation, owners of recyclable roofs love them for their maintenance-free qualities, exceptional design standards and visual appeal, as well the savings they make on their utility bills.

Why Architects, House Builders and Roofing Contractors Should Recommend Plastic Roof Tiles to Their Clients

Given that there is an ongoing requirement for plastics in the construction industry, coupled with the need to balance that requirement to comply with the latest Government legislation, it makes sense for house builders and contractors to utilise recycled and recyclable materials wherever practicable.

The British Plastics Federation (BPF) website states that:

‘All plastics can be recycled, however the extent to which they are recycled depends upon both economic and logistic factors. As a valuable and finite resource, the optimum use for most plastic after its first use, is to be recycled, preferably into a product that can be recycled again.’
The benefits of recycling plastics are:

• Less used plastic going to landfill.
• Less oil used for plastic production.
• Less energy consumed.

Where previously, house builders and roofing contractors may have steered away from using eco-friendly alternatives to traditional slate and concrete, due to performance issues of strength and reliability, now that choice has become significantly more attractive, thanks to the invention of Envirotile – a roofing tile with the greenest credentials, which radically outperforms traditional roofing materials.

Envirotile, the UK’s first commercially-available roof tile made entirely from recycled plastics, is five times stronger than conventional roof tiles. Yet it is 80 per cent lighter, making it easier to manoeuvre and align. As you would imagine, this drastically reduces the risks associated with manual handling at height – a boon for roofing contractors. And of course, if any materials should accidentally be dropped from height, plastic tiling reduces the hazardous consequences for those on the ground.
In addition to the major Health & Safety advantages, on average, Envirotile is estimated to reduce a contractor’s fitting time by 25 per cent – a considerable time-saving in the working day.



As well as making every roofing job less labour intensive, Envirotile effectively reduces the carbon footprint of every building project the contractor undertakes. And these days, with more consumers demanding ‘green credentials’ that’s an impressive boast for your company’s marketing literature.

In addition, Envirotile will help you meet the requirements of the Code for Sustainable Homes.

Envirotile is easy to fit, economic to employ – and of course – aesthetically pleasing on the eye.

With less chance of breakages and no wastage of materials, Envirotile is the perfect roofing solution for today’s eco-conscious house builder, concerned with leaving a lasting impression.