Stargurl80's Blog

Nothing makes a home bar pop like quality lighting. If you want to impress your guests with something besides your beer and spirits collection, lighting is your best bet. No matter what kind of theme you are planning on going with when it comes to your home bar, proper lighting is an absolute must.

Lighting serves as a functional and aesthetic tool: it allows you to actually see what you are doing in addition to giving off the proper ambiance. If you have a home bar and want to get the lighting right, follow these 4 steps for proper installation.

 

1. Come up with a plan.

Always come up with a detailed plan, no matter what home improvement or “do it yourself” project you are planning. Draw out a diagram for your planned bar lighting, making sure to include accurate measurements. Planning makes every other step much, much easier because you already have a good idea of what you are going to do. Doing a job like this by the seat of your pants often leads to costly mistakes. This will be your blue print for the rest of the installation process.

 

2. Turn off the power supply.

Second step, for safety purposes, is turning off the power supply. Turn off the electrical power in the circuit panel before even thinking about touching anything. I suggest testing the connection by turning the switch on and off to make sure there is no electricity. Once your tests prove that there is definitely no electrical current, you can start the wiring.

 

3. Attach the wiring.

The first step when dealing with the wiring is removing the rubber insulation. Use wire strippers to take ½ inch to 1 inch off of the ends of the wires. After the wires are properly stripped, attach your positives, negatives and grounds. The black goes with black, white goes with white and the copper/green is your ground. Twist the ends of the wires together with pliers and attach a wire nut for prolonged support.

 

4. Add flush mounts.

Now that the wiring and support for the pendant lighting fixtures is all set, it is important to hide any unsightly wiring. The best way to do this is to add flush mounting to the ceiling to ensure a clean, sleek look. You should flush mount most pendant lighting fixtures for safety and appearance reasons.

Every once in a while, I like to change my surroundings a bit to "freshen things up".  When I get this urge, walls generally get painted different colors, beds and dressers get moved, decorations get bought and placed and the such.  One thing that I have really found stagnant as of late has been my closet.

Most women my age feel that a closet is an absolute necessity.  What can I say?  Us ladies love clothes, shoes and accessories!  However, I find closets to be very boring.  From the outside, all a closet is it a door or a set of doors.  What fun is that?

I come from a bit of a retail background, having worked several positions at a large clothing retail store for about 5 years.  One main thing our district manager would always say to the employees and the management is "use your product as your marketing material".  To this day, what he said has had quite the effect on me, and will be something I'll always remember.

Most of us don't think of clothing as decor for a room or house.  We think of clothing as a functional decoration for our bodies.  However, retail stores operate totally differently.  The way the clothes are folded, hung, placed and displayed all convey a message to customers.  The detailed marketing strategies involved with retail is really quite remarkable.

This is why I am planning on throwing the closet idea out the window!  I am going to use my clothing as decor for my room.  I have the luxury of having a very big bedroom, so I certainly have the space to do it.  I am in the process of buying some slatwall shelving , slatwall fixtures and tables to start with.  Hopefully I can come up with a room theme and work the clothing into it to make a truly unique, fresh room that will be functional at the same time!

 

 

 

So you’ve been accepted, financing is in order, lodging confirmed, and your parents seriously terrified since you are off to college. However at this stage, before your freedom from parental tyranny is complete, you might want to consider asking for that computer equipment you need to complete those classes you have to take on this four year journey of education. But what do you ask for? Laptop, desktop, laser printer or ink jet, and the list of questions goes on and on of what do you really need?

Before you buy computer equipment it helps to start at the beginning. You will need a computer but which type? There a three basic types currently: laptop, mini-notebook, or laptop. A laptop offers the convenience of mobility which allows you to work anywhere. Your work travels with you to class, to the library, back to the dorm, and to the beach if you want it too. However there is a cost premium associated with that mobility as well as a smaller screen size. Don’t be fooled by the advertised “special of the week“ offering you a laptop at an amazing price comparable to a desktop. Although that unit will probably work great for updating Facebook or keeping your MP3 player synchronized it might not fare so well when you are trying to do research and write a 100 page term paper at the same time. You will generally pay 50% more for a comparable laptop rather than the desktop version as well. Do your research and look at the technical specifications to make sure you are getting what you parents are paying for.

Mini-notebooks are new to the market and seem like a great fit for a college student at first glance. Extremely tiny and portable they offer the extreme mobility that most laptop users only dream of. However just like their bigger cousins they offer a very tiny screen size and performance is less than that of a comparable laptop. Although price wise they come in slightly cheaper you will certainly pay for it while trying to see the footnotes while still writing that 100 page term paper, although for a different class of course.

Desktops are still the machine of choice for most college students. They have the best performance for the cost and also allow you to make modifications at less cost than you would on a laptop version. Whether it is a bigger screen, more memory, or a larger storage device you can do it all with minimum cost. The downside of course is your mobility factor is 0. You won’t be seeing the beach anytime soon with that term paper still due, both of them.

So before you buy computer hardware online do the research, compare the technical specifications, and way the advantage and disadvantages of each type. Then bilk your parents for the best they can afford!

What can I say? I'm a girl who likes to be pampered. Because of this, you can pretty much guess which room in the house is my favorite. I probably spend more time in the bathroom than anywhere in the house...probably every other place in the house put together! Whether it's taking a hot bath after a hard day or getting ready to go out for the night in front of the mirror, you are likely to find me in the bathroom.

I've always told myself that when I get my own place, the bathroom is going to be the nicest room in the house. I have put a lot of thought into what would go in my perfect bathroom. After much deliberation, I have come up with 4 essentials for my perfect bathroom.

1. Big Tub

I want my bathtub to be jacuzzi size. I am a very active girl, and nothing feels better after the gym than a hot bath. I want the tub to have the jacuzzi-like jets as well because it really relaxes my muscles. I have always been a sucker for a hot bubble bath, and I plan on having a bathtub I can be proud of!

2. Music

As you can tell, I am all about atmosphere. Whether I am taking a shower, laying in the tub, getting read to go out or even going to the bathroom, I want to be relaxed and comfortable. Having relaxing music is essential for the perfect relaxed atmosphere. I would like to have an MP3 player dock mounted somewhere in my bathroom so I could play whatever I want.

3. Candles & Lighting

Candles around the bath are a must. My bathroom right now is very small, but I still have about 15 candles in it. I plan on doubling that in my future bathroom. I am a very light oriented person, and I don't like bright, general light. I enjoy soft, mood lighting and accent lighting. If I had it my way, my bathroom wouldn't even have a main light. It would have candles, bath lights and bathroom vanity light around my mirror

4. Huge Mirror

How could you not want a huge mirror? It is very functional, as well as decorative. A big mirror makes getting ready to go out and going through your daily bathroom routine much easier. I don't want anything crazy, but I would definitely like something that I could see at least waist-up.

Lets face it: in today's society an MP3 player is an essential piece of technology. It is almost impossible to be a music lover and not have an MP3 player. Much like records, 8 tracks and cassette tapes, CDs are becoming a thing of the past.

Because of this, MP3 players are the go to medium to enjoy your music. MP3 players have made it easier than ever to customize your music experience. As they are becoming more popular, MP3 players are also coming down in price. No longer is Apple's iPod the only game in town. Other big name companies like Microsoft and Sony have entered the MP3 player market, giving consumers the opportunity to buy cheap MP3 players.

If you have been debating an MP3 player purchase but have been on the fence about it, here are 4 reasons why you need an MP3 player.

1. Exercise

If you are an avid gym-goer, your MP3 player should be as important as your sneakers and water bottle. Listening to music makes working out much more tolerable, and can actually improve your performance. Although you could take a CD player to the gym with you, it is bulky and looks dated. In addition, no other music medium gives you the diversity that MP3 players offer.

2. Travel

Listening to music is also a necessity when you travel. Whether flying from New York to Los Angeles, driving 30 miles to work every day or hiking through the mountains, music can enhance the experience. MP3 players are perfect travel companions because they are small, light and have good battery life.

3. Diversity

I touched on this earlier, but it warrants its own point. If you have an eclectic taste in music, nothing comes close to an MP3 player in terms of giving you the range that you want. Everything else is limited....radio, CDs, cassettes etc. You can put several genres of music and numerous artists on one MP3 player and listen to whatever song you want whenever you want.

4. Savings
Believe it or not, buying an MP3 player can actually save you money. First off, MP3 players are becoming more and more affordable. You can buy MP3 players online for under $50. In addition to the price on the actual player, selecting music to fit your needs has become easier. Instead of having to shell out $15 for an album, you can buy individual songs for less than $1. This makes experimenting with new music cheap and easy.

The Benefits of buying computer hardware online are many. The most valuable resources you have are your time and money. You save both when you buy computer hardware online. Consider the following.

1. The best place to buy cheap computer hardware in just a few clicks away.
Quickly you can determine the best prices. Open several windows inside your Internet browser and just compare.

 
2. It’s easy to compare features too. Each piece of hardware lists the speed, capacity, software compatibility or any other specific specifications you’re looking for.

3. Often you find items with more capabilities than you knew were even available. Manufacturers are eager to tell how their products outshine their competitors. Most products list their specifications in a similar way.

4. When features are found that are unfamiliar, a quick search or click can get you informed and up to date. We all know how computer hardware is always changing so fast. Not just the hardware but the terminology is always being updated too. Online searching makes it easy to stay informed of the latest changes.

5. Comparing and staying informed of the latest updates can help you buy hardware that will last longer and serve you better. It also prevents buying hardware that is out of date as soon as we get it home.

6. When you buy computer hardware online there is no need to leave the house or office. Whatever you need will be shipped to your door. That saves you time and money. No gasoline or time used to get to the store and back. Also, there’s no frustration from finding out the store doesn’t have the item you want. When ordering from the office there’s no employee down time either.

7. Most of the time there is no extra charge to have it shipped. Most places online will ship for free when ordering over a certain dollar amount.

8. Returns are easy too. When the package arrives just keep the packing slip. If a return is necessary, return delivery is a phone call away. Most delivery companies and even the United States Postal Service will pick up at your location.

9. Use the time you saved to do something for yourself. Instead of driving down to a local store to purchase computer hardware, go to your favorite gym and work out. Knock off early and meet your favorite other person and take in a meal or movie.

10. It cost money to have Internet access. Make the Internet your tool for saving time and money instead of it costing you.