February 22, 2008

Skacel Knitting Needles

It does not matter how long you have been knitting, or how long you have loved the current knitting needles that you are using – when you have tried out the latest skacel knitting needles, you will never go back to using anything else!  You will quickly be able to feel the difference that using skacel knitting needles will make on your knitting.  The knitting motion will come much easier and quicker because of the unique design of the needles and the material and weight that is put into them.  You know you have been looking for something to make knitting more enjoyable!  Well, now you have found them - skacel knitting needles!

Skacel knitting needles will be easy for you to locate when you are interested in purchasing them.  Almost any craft supply store that is known for carrying high quality crafting supplies will be able to sell you a pair.  You should bring a little yarn to work with, because if you can get permission from an associate in the store, you may want to practice with the skacel knitting needles before you buy them to make sure that they are the right knitting needles for you.  Only a few minutes with is all you will need to know that they will revolutionize the way you think about knitting!

If you are part of a weekly or monthly knitting group, then you may find that someone else in the group has already discovered skacel knitting needles, and they may be willing to send a pair home with you for the month to try out for yourself.  You will be forever thankful to them for turning you on to these dream needles!  You will probably end up owning your own pair before you have to return the loaned needles to their owners!

You could also try a search online for skacel knitting needles to see what other people like yourself think of them.  Everyone can get online and post their opinions of different products, and it is helpful to read as many of these posts as you can so that you can determine if you would enjoy using skacel knitting needles.

Spread the word

del.icio.us Digg Furl Reddit Help

Permalink • Print

Boye Knitting Needles

If you have found that you really enjoy knitting, or even if you are wondering about how to get started in knitting, you should do some checking on boye knitting needles.  When you use boye knitting needles, you will find that your hands enjoy the natural comfort of the needles, and you are not in pain after a long session of knitting, like some other needles can leave you in.  Boye knitting needles are popular in the knitting and crafting world, because they are so affordable also!  You will just adore your boye knitting needles, so let’s get started looking for them!

The easiest place to find boye knitting needles is at your local craft supply store.  You will be able to find them in the knitting section with the other knitting supplies.  If you have any questions or doubts about purchasing them, ask an associate if they have an open package that you can try out for a few minutes before you do buy them.  Just within the first few minutes, you will see that the boye knitting needles are more comfortable to knit with than what you have gotten used to using! 

Another great place to find boye knitting needles is on the internet.  You will see that many different places offer boye knitting needles for great prices!  Of course, when you order them off of the internet, you will not be able to try them out before you buy them, but you would be able to easily return them if you found that they did not meet your expectations.  When you buy your boye knitting needles from the internet, you will find that you have a much wider selection to pick from than what your local craft supply store can offer you also.

You may want to ask if anyone is using boye knitting needles when you go to your next knitting meeting.  If anyone has them there, they may allow you to try them out for a while, or for the whole meeting, to see what kind of difference they will make for you.  You will find that everyone can benefit from pain free knitting!  If no one in your group has tried them yet, you should be the one to introduce them all to the wonderful experience you have found using boye knitting needles!

Spread the word

del.icio.us Digg Furl Reddit Help

Permalink • Print

February 10, 2008

Discount Options For Your Wedding Dress Shopping

You can shop for your wedding dress with a price tag a lot less expensive than a an outlet by going through mail-order discounters or those with home representatives, provided you know exactly what you want down to the last digit of the style number. Of course, the only way to know that, and to know how sizes run and whether or not a style will flatter you, is by first taking advantage of the good faith of your local full-service retailer.

In order to buy successfully this way, you will either have to be dishonest about your intentions in a bridal salon, or you'll need incredible luck to buy a gown sight unseen, which is probably not the way you usually shop. And there's no recourse after the fact. You will pay in full up front, plus shipping and handling, and the gown will be sent directly to your home. Alterations are your problem and, if the dress is delayed, damaged, incorrect, or otherwise below your expectations, you'll have a hassle on your hands.

Vintage clothing stores and consignment shops: For a distinctive look from a bygone era or a fabulous designer gown at a frankly affordable price, you can check antique clothing shops and secondhand apparel stores. Such places are not always easy to find, but some women swear by them. You will probably be able to use credit cards, though you may not be able to return the dress once it's purchased. Refurbishing and alterations can be expensive, and clothes should be in good condition to begin with. Check with an accomplished seamstress or with a dry cleaner that specializes in refurbishing and preserving wedding gowns before you buy so you'll know what you're getting into, what is possible, and what is not.

Wearing someone else's dress: Whether it is a family heirloom or a dress that belongs to a friend, you will have to take it to a seamstress or a good dry cleaner to see what has to be done to make it suitable for you, and how much time and money will be involved in doing it. If the gown belongs to a friend and she wants it back, there may be a limit to the alterations that you can reasonably expect to make. Also, how will you feel about not owning your wedding gown? 

Rentals: If wearing a dress someone else has worn doesn't bother you, you might consider buying from a bridal consignment shop, or even renting a gown from one of the women's formal wear rental shops that have sprung up in major cities. Prices are calculated on a percentage of the original cost of the gown, so that you might typically be able to rent even a lavish creation for as little as $250. Minor alterations and cleaning are included in the charge.

Custom-made: Consider having the gown made or making it yourself. Major pattern companies and better fabric stores sell everything you need to create a complete bridal outfit. The only thing you have to supply is the expertise, and that is considerably more sewing ability than is required to make a simple skirt or sun dress. If you or someone you know is an expert seamstress, and if your sense of style is so unerring as to make you completely confident about the end result, then you can probably have the dress of your dreams for less than half the cost of buying it retail.

Spread the word

del.icio.us Digg Furl Reddit Help

Permalink • Print

Choosing A Wedding Gown: Do You Need To See A Bridal Consultant?

You should not follow trends when selecting your gown, but rather choose a dress that is comfortable, classic, and truly most flattering for you. The biggest mistake a woman makes is to select a gown with design features - an elaborate sleeve or an unusual neckline - that completely overwhelm. The dress wears her instead of the other way around. And then, sometimes the dress is fine, but the headpiece becomes too much. It overpowers both the woman and the gown and throws the whole image out of proportion. You will have to think about all of this, and more, when choosing your own wedding attire.

To capture your own best look for your wedding, you'll need to work with the consultant, keep an open mind, and be objective about your physical features. The saleswoman will begin by asking questions about your wedding: date, time, location, type of ceremony, and reception. She may then talk to you about the appropriateness of the style of gown you seem to want for the kind of wedding you have described.

The bridal consultant will bring you sample gowns in your nearest size to try on, clipping, pinning, or holding them in place so you can get an idea of how the properly fitted dress would look. You'll notice as you try them on that wedding gowns have a different "feel" from ready-to-wear clothes. They may employ stays, boning, wires, crinolines, and linings for shape and contour. Depending on the fabrics and the decorative applications, they can be heavy and constricting. 

Sleeves and bodices can have complicated closures, and you may need help getting into the dress. You may even have to practice a bit before you feel graceful moving in billowing skirts with weighty trains.

People in the industry refer to constructing a wedding gown as "building a costume," and once you become familiar with wedding apparel you'll understand why. Your bridal consultant may counsel you to put this sleeve on that bodice, or drop this waist or raise that hem. She may show you the same gown available in different shades and fabrications, or the same basic design with more, or less, ornamentation. Such options are what customization is all about. 

Your wedding dress will probably be quite unlike anything else you've ever worn before and, since you will be wearing it for many hours, it is important to consider comfort and convenience, as well as style, when choosing it.

Think about the following: 

1. Getting into and out of limousines

2. Kneeling, bending, or climbing stairs at your ceremony

3. Dining and dancing at your reception

4. The weather, and how warm or cold it might be

5. The properties of individual fabrics and how easily they might wrinkle, snag, or tear and, if you intend to preserve your gown as an heirloom for your own daughter one day, then make classic design and quality construction top priorities.

Good fit and construction are absolutely essential. A poorly made garment, or even a well-made one inexpertly altered, can be a problem, or even a disaster, on your wedding day. Besides the hundreds of dollars you are spending, that's one more reason to purchase your gown from experienced bridal retailers and manufacturers who have earned a reputation for quality and service.

Spread the word

del.icio.us Digg Furl Reddit Help

Permalink • Print

12 Wedding Dress Shopping Tips

Before you go anywhere to shop for your wedding gown, look through the pages of bridal magazines. These publications are virtual catalogs of wedding attire available in the marketplace today Manufacturers' ads will give you an idea of "the look" each house is known for and will almost always identify the retail stores in your area that carry their lines. Fashion editorial pages will focus on design details and quote prices, as well as identify the designers and manufacturers.

Studying magazines is the best way to familiarize yourself with what is being shown, and to develop a sense for coordinating accessories, attendants' attire, and the style of the wedding. You should also take the time to attend bridal fashion shows held by retailers in your area, usually in the spring and fall when the new lines have been introduced. While refining your tastes and developing an image of "the look" you'd like to achieve, you'll also gain a realistic perspective on what you are likely to have to spend.

Even if you don't find the one gown you love, take notes and set aside pictures of those with features that appeal to you, whether it's a neckline, waistline, sleeve, or a fabric. As you begin to compare the notes and pictures in your collection, a pattern of preferences will emerge. This pattern will give direction to an experienced salesperson, so be sure to take them with you when you shop.

You should know that good bridal stores put their staff through rigorous training programs. A sales consultant in a reputable salon will know her lines, know what can be done to customize a particular gown, and understand the psychology and emotion involved in this all-important purchase. Her knowledge and experience should enable her to be both sensitive to your needs and objective in her advice. If you do not find that, go somewhere else.

Besides the quality and workmanship of the gown, much of what you are paying for in a full retail establishment is service. Bridal attire is about the last apparel industry left in which customized, made-to-order garments are still routine, and the profit margin on such individualized service is a lot slimmer than you might think given the cost of the gowns. Proper measurements must be taken, expert alterations made, and a perfect fit achieved. If anything goes wrong in quality, fitting, or delivery, a reputable retailer will stand by the customer and make it right.

In any marketplace: when you deal with people of integrity who value their own reputations, you do get what you pay for. When you do not, you shop at your own risk. In a free-market economy, the choice is always up to you.

12 Wedding Gown Shopping Tips:

1. Take only one person with you when you shop. That person may be your mother, a friend, or your fiancé, but whoever it is, be sure she or he can be objective.

2. Label magazine pictures with page number, name of magazine, and date of issue. Bring along the pictures of gowns you like, as well as any special accessories that you plan to wear with your gown.

3. Be ready to explain the style and type of wedding you are having to the sales consultant: size, theme, time of day, location of ceremony, and reception.

4. Wear suitable undergarments, hose, and heels of the approximate height you are likely to choose for the wedding. Also, do your hair and makeup so that you look like your "better" self. All of this will add to your total impression of the gowns.

5. Be honest about your price range. Tell the salesperson what you would ideally like to spend, and what your outside limits are. Be firm, and bear in mind that the gown itself is not the only expense for your total wedding attire.

6. Make an appointment; give yourself plenty of time, and expect to try on at least six to eight different gowns in each salon you visit. Brides in larger cities with many retail establishments to choose from often shop around for three weeks or so before making their final selection.

7. If you are not comfortable in the shop, or do not feel a certain confidence in the consultant there, go elsewhere.

8. Do not get sidetracked by accessories and attendants' attire. You can shop for those things later, after you've chosen your own gown.

9. Inquire about alterations and fitting fees. Every dress will have some. Make sure seamstresses are experienced with the intricacy of bridal work.

10. Tell the salon when you'll need the dress (for coordination of other elements or for the bridal portrait) and ask about delivery and fitting schedules.

11. Be sure you understand all terms, guarantees, and refund policies before you put down a deposit on a gown. (Usually, the deposit is a nonrefundable

50% when you order, and the balance is payable when the dress comes in before it is fitted. Alterations, even minor ones, are almost always extra.)

12. Start shopping early; six to eight months is recommended, much earlier if you have special fitting needs or an unusually large bridal party to plan for. And never put down a deposit on a dress that you have not tried on, no matter what your size or fitting needs.

Spread the word

del.icio.us Digg Furl Reddit Help

Permalink • Print

12 Great Tips When Planning Your Wedding Reception Beverage Plan

Your beverage tab is another big portion of your reception expenses, and it is also a place where you can find great savings with the right decisions and right resources. Many established reception sites and hotels do offer an open bar with your choice of premium liquors or a more limited selection of drinks, and they remain in control of the price per bottle. At your reception site, ask about the types of liquors available, the vintages chosen, even the number of bottles opened. One of the most colossal wastes of money at any reception is when the bar staff opens too many bottles of wine or other liquors, and at the end of the night, even though they weren't used, you still have to pay for them. On your dime, the wait staff might be sipping your Chardonnay and gulping down the cheese platter after the party ends.

Clearly, you can save a bundle by talking with the reception manager, caterer, or bartender to establish clear guidelines on the liquors you'll stock at your bar. Take a look at their itemized order list, ask them to explain their estimates of how much each guest is likely to drink, and state your preferences for the uncorking of bottles of wine. Most couples request that bottles be opened on a need-only basis and that they not be charged for all unopened bottles. This keeps the "corkage fees" to a minimum.

Your first concern might be which kinds of drinks to offer. Many open bar arrangements do allow for unlimited use of premium or top-shelf liquors, several different kinds of wines, soft drinks and fruit drinks for mixes, and bottled water. Do not just accept a site's stated list of liquor in supply; ask to have some say in what's offered and what's not. One couple saved a fortune and prevented misbehavior by their younger guests by instructing their bartenders not to serve shots of hard liquor. Mixed drinks were fine, but no shots. Their theory was to stop their younger guests downing shot after shot of vodka or tequila and get them to slow down their pace with larger, mixed drinks. Their strategy worked and earned them a lower bar tab and more in-control guests.

One of the smartest things you can do before you sit down with the bartender or reception hall manager is to learn a bit about the price ranges of liquors, wines, and champagnes. You don't need to take an expensive wine-tasting course to find out the real price range for a good Chablis or a good Riesling. You may go online and view some reviews and price ranges; and even receive updated lists of the best-rated vintages around.

Once you have your lists in hand, see if the reception hall manager can order some of your chosen vintages as replacements for his list. In some cases, the site may allow you to bring in your own supply of liquor rather than use their stock. This can add up to some great savings if you go about it the right way.

Ask your bartender for an outline of how much liquor you'll need for your guest list and then seek out great choices and great prices at a discount liquor store or wholesale liquor supplier. Buying in bulk may net you even greater savings. This is a great job for the bridal party to help out with, as you'll certainly need the extra bodies to carry those cases of wine and liquor into your reception site.

The following are recommendations from wine merchants and liquor suppliers for their top tips on choosing more economical, but still pleasing, beverage options for weddings on a budget.

1. Serve top-shelf liquors at the beginning of the evening and then serve call bar, or less prestigious, liquors the rest of the night. "Your guests won't be able to taste the difference once they have a few good drinks in them."

2. Limit the menu of drinks, offering only a few top-shelf liquors such as vodka, gin, and rum, and only a few selections of white and red wines.

3. Put a restriction on the types of mixed drinks your bartender will prepare. Drinks such as Long Island Iced Teas and Cosmopolitans use more liquor than most choices, so leave them off the drink menu. Print up a list of drinks the bartender will make, such as martinis, gin and tonics, and the like.

4. Find great-tasting yet inexpensive wine vintages during a thorough search at your liquor store. A well-trained wine expert can help you find the best choices at a discount.

5. Offer micro-brew beers instead of big-name imports and watery domestics.

6. Serve after-dinner drinks by way of a strolling waiter in tuxedo, who pours the cognac right from the bottle with a white-gloved hand.

7. Limit your international coffee bar to include only espresso, cappuccino, and standard coffee. Eliminating the more exotic Chai teas and Jamaican and Irish coffees will cut down on your supply expenses.

8. Offer a wide supply of nonalcoholic drinks for your teetotaler friends, underage guests, and children.

9. Close the bar during dinner, and close it for good an hour or two before the end of the reception, while the coffee is served.

10. Be sure your site has a liquor license before you stock up on wines, beers, and champagnes! Double-check so your purchases don't go to waste.

11. Have a nonalcoholic reception. Some couples choose a liquor-free reception if they have major budget concerns, religious beliefs, or they're supporting a relative who has stopped drinking. In place of liquor, provide pretty punches and soft drinks.

12. Skip the champagne. Guests can toast you with whatever drink they have in their hands.

Spread the word

del.icio.us Digg Furl Reddit Help

Permalink • Print

11 Practical Matters To Consider Before You Get Married

Marriage is an act of free choice and personal commitment between two adults,  and at the same time it is also a social institution. As such, the state has a vested interest in the success of your partnership as a basic unit of society. In the weeks and days before your wedding, or very shortly thereafter, you will have to take care of some of the following practical matters.

1. Find out how to apply for a marriage license in the city or county where the ceremony is to be held and meet whatever requirements exist there. These vary from place to place and state to state: waiting periods, blood tests, evidence of vaccinations, a general physical exam, etc. Ask your officiant about the licensing requirements, or call the county recorder clerk's office.

 2. Make appointments for any medical checkups or procedures you want to have completed before marriage.

 3. Change beneficiaries to include your spouse on any preexisting insurance policies such as health or life insurance or investment plans. Most people have these plans through their employer, so talk to your human resources at work to find out how your marriage will affect whatever policies and plans you have.

 4. Compare the benefit and protection plans each of you holds and determine what else you may need. Contact your independent insurance agent for changes and additions on car and home-owner's insurance, as well as on any other coverage. 

5. Add your spouse's name to any bank accounts, car registrations, investment accounts, or credit cards you intend to share. Be careful, though, because little words like “and” and “or” make a difference. A joint savings account for Jane Smith "and" John Smith means that both signatures are required for a transaction; "or" means either signature will do. You should understand that, if you hold bank accounts and/or credit accounts in both names, you will each have free access to those accounts and each be legally responsible for any bills incurred by the other.

Tip: It would be wise to thoroughly investigate the legal and tax ramifications, under the laws of your state, of placing any previously owned private property into joint ownership. The state does not automatically assume that a husband and wife are one entity, and sometimes, even if only in the interest of marital harmony, it makes sense to retain some "separate" property rights on significant holdings. Get professional advice for more information.

6. If you will change your name after marriage or if he will be combining his surname with yours, you each need to effect that change on driver's licenses, employment records, Social Security cards, bank accounts, credit cards, and so on. A married woman does not have to change her name at all, and failure to do so will not affect the legitimacy of children born of the marriage.

In addition, in the U.S., under the Equal Credit Opportunity Act (ECOA), a woman is entitled, and encouraged, to maintain her own separate credit rating. Even if she has no outside employment, she can establish a personal credit rating by simply using her own name. In addition, under the ECOA, a person may not be denied a credit application or refused a loan because of marital status.

7. If you have a will, you might want to review its provisions in light of your new status with an attorney in the state in which you will be residing after marriage. Rights of survivorship vary from state to state, and a will executed in one location is not automatically upheld in another.

8. If there are any assets at all between you and any concern for the welfare and convenience of your spouse should something happen, you should each have a will. Nobody likes to think about such things, but the time to do it is now when you are both healthy and happy.

9. If either of you has been married before or is receiving alimony, keep in mind that it will stop once you are remarried. Other aspects of the divorce settlement could be affected, as well. You will need to inform your former spouse about your marriage plans, and one, or both of you may need to see an attorney.

10. If either of you owns a business or if you plan to own and operate a business together, seek legal and professional advice. There are special considerations for husbands and wives as business partners under the law.

11. Review your tax situation. Most married couples still find filing jointly to be the easiest, most advantageous method. But that may not be true for you. Note that if you do file jointly, you will each be responsible for the full total of the tax bill.

Spread the word

del.icio.us Digg Furl Reddit Help

Permalink • Print