1. 50′s Style

All you need for this 50’s mock up is a big barrel curling iron and some dye.

You can either color your hair using very large chunks or slices, or you can use a temporary color spray found at any hair supply store. Use the hot barrel roller and curl big chunks of hair toward the center of the scalp. Take the curling iron out and secure the curl with bobby pins and lots of hairspray. Continue until you have achieved the look you want.

 2. Fun and Bright

Fun, bright colors make this classic style unique.

Take any bright fun color and either color your hair or you can use a temporary hairspray. After your hair is the color you want you can start on the style. Start by back combing the hair close to the scalp throughout the crown. Next start making corkscrew curls throughout. Curl every strand, and you can mix it up by using different size curling irons. Last, pin the curls you want to using bobby pins. Spray it all with a setting spray and you’re done.

3. Spiky!

This style takes the classic bun and gives it an energy boost.

 This look is super fun, modern, and very easy to achieve. Pull all your hair into a tight bun very high on the head. Now start pulling chunks of hair out, rolling them into a curl and securing them with a hair pin. Once you have done the amount of rolls you want, take the shorter pieces of hair from the rolls and pull them straight out. Use a flat iron to get them straight and sharp. Back comb the bottom to keep them in place and spiky. Be sure to use a lot of hairspray or setting spray on the spikes to keep their shape all night.

4. The Side Shave!

Shaving one side of your head.

There really is no other way to describe this new trend. All you have to do is part your hair exactly where you want it and then take some clipper’s and shave the other side. With the hair that’s left over you can style it into a formal wave. Make sure you are 100% sure you want to do this, because as you can see here it is a long commitment! If you decide to grow it out you will need some major hair extensions.

5. The Disco Ball.

There aren’t many choices when it comes to up-do’s for the ladies with very short hair. But as you can see here, it is a bold look sure to get attention. I would not recommend trying this on your own. This look takes some major precision cutting and some coloring on the ends of certain pieces. With the hair on top, you can spike it as shown here or pincurl it.

About the Author

When Danny Ashton is not Chillin out maxin, relaxing all cool, shooting some beetball outside after school…he likes to write awesome content for Hair Loss Geeks.com.

In his latest blog post he looks at how green tea works for hairloss, so check it out if your interested in finding out about the science behind green tea and how it fights baldness!

For starters, it’s a good idea to begin saving money right away. Although you may wonder just how you’re going to cover the additional costs of having a baby in the house, much less socking some cash away for his distant future education, you should know that kids only get more expensive as they get older (sorry to burst your bubble, but babies are pretty low-cost compared to teenagers). So the sooner you start saving to send your kids to college, the better chance you’ll be able to afford that Ivy League tuition when he gets accepted to Harvard or Yale.

And on that note, you also need to start preparing your child at an early age for the eventuality of attending college. For your part, you should be looking at the type of schools that will ensure your child gets the education he needs to excel academically. Some parents operate with this concern in mind even when choosing a preschool facility. You don’t necessarily have to go to that extreme (unless you live in a highly competitive school district where placement in elementary schools is predicated by the preschool your child attends, for example). But even as early as primary school, parents should be talking to their kids about the importance of education and the prospect of going to college.

The main idea here is to get your kids familiar and comfortable with the concept of college. When kids understand from a young age not only that attending college is an attainable goal, but that it is something they are expected to do, they’re much more likely to approach their academic endeavors with that end in mind. Sometimes all it takes to make your kid a super scholar is imparting the knowledge that he can and should plan for a college career. Of course, you don’t have to give up on your dreams for you kids just because you’re a little late to the game.

If your child has graduated high school (or is about to graduate) without taking college entrance exams or applying for admissions you can still get on the bandwagon of higher education. Simply do a search for the best online colleges of 2012 (and make sure they’re accredited) as a way to get your child started with his general education while he takes the steps to get into the school of his choice. It’s never too late to attend college and earn a degree, but if you get started early by talking to your kids about their academic future you’ll never have to worry about it.

First and foremost, you need some eye candy. People are attracted by bright colors, visual textures, and interesting layouts. In fact, there’s an entire industry devoted to using the visual medium to get people to buy products (hello, advertising). The long and short of it is that you want to catch the eye of anyone passing by. Brick-and-mortar stores do this through enticing window displays that showcase their latest wares, so think of the photos you post as your virtual window display meant to draw the interest of the average internet visitor. If you put an outdated or already-worn mess of clothing on your mannequin you shouldn’t be surprised when people pass you by. But if you display the latest fashions in a trendy show of style, you’re bound to spark a lot more interest.

However, it’s not all about flash. You also want to use your photos to appeal to your customers; and there are two main concerns here. The first is that you want to display yourself (which is to say your products, services, or whatever you’re “selling”) in the best possible light. So using a professional photographer (versus shooting in your home with a couple of desk lamps, for example) provides for a far better display. And if you don’t think consumers will notice the difference, think again.

The second goal is to attract a certain segment of the consumer market, and the type and quality of photos you use on your site will make a difference. Understanding the basic principles of layout and design simply isn’t enough here; you also have to know how certain demographics will view your presentation and whether or not they will find it tempting or a turn-off. That’s where marketing comes into play, and the visual representations of your brand are an important part of any online marketing strategy.

Whether you’re running a website for a multi-national conglomerate, a top news blog, or a Chicago wedding photographer (just for example) you need to provide the best quality content for their viewers if you want to compete. The idea is to promote your website in a way that is not only appealing to visitors, but also targets certain groups. Photos that are large, clear, detailed, and visually attractive are going to be a lot more attractive to nearly everyone. But using images to instantly target customers and encourage them to buy is the ultimate goal, and you can’t pull it off without high-quality photos.

Valentine sidewalk chalk

Create heart-shaped sidewalk chalk in valentine colors – find deals on all your crafting supplies for February 14 – and have your kids hand them out as gifts on the big day. Spray the inside of heart-shaped silicone cupcake pans with cooking spray. Use mini-muffin tins for tiny chalks or the full-sized pans for larger pieces. Pour ¾ cup of warm water into a small bucket. Stir in 1½ cups of Plaster of Paris (available at most craft stores) until it’s smooth like pancake batter. Drop in two to three tablespoons of red tempera paint powder and mix it thoroughly for a solid color or give it a couple of stirs for swirled color. Pour the mixture into the molds and allow it to dry for 2-3 days. Break free gently and have fun playing!

Somebunny Loves You Valentine cards

Cut out folded card shapes from red construction paper. Paint your child’s thumb with white poster paint and have her make a thumbprint in the center of the card to make the bunny’s body. (You can also draw your own bunny if you prefer.) Do the same with his or her pinkie to create the bunny’s two ears on top. Allow the paint to dry. Use a fine-point marker to draw facial features on the bunny. Use colorful markers to write “Somebunny” at the top of the card and “Loves You” at the bottom. Add a personalized note inside the card and send it to Grandma or other loved ones.

Valentine candy rings

Make a batch of edible candy rings for your child to pass out during a class Valentine’s Day party. Bend pipe cleaners into ring shapes to fit little fingers. Use craft glue to stick wrapped hard candies onto the top of each ring to create a “jewel.” Use red-and-white peppermints, heart-shaped lollipops with the stick cut off, or gold-wrapped caramel candies for a deluxe jewelry look.

Valentine heart lollipop flowers

Cut out heart shapes from red or pink construction paper. Use regular scissors for smooth edges or pinking shears for a scalloped look. Poke a lollipop stick through the bottom tip of four or five hearts, arranging the hearts around the small lollipop like petals on a flower. Gather a bundle of these festive flowers together and tie the sticks with a red ribbon. Present them to mom, a favorite aunt or teacher on Valentine’s Day.

Giving a gift of love doesn’t have to cost a lot of money. Spend some time with your kids creating gifts for classmates, neighbors and family members. You’ll have a fun afternoon together and your kids will learn that not every great gift has to come from a specialty store.

Page Load Speed: People use the Internet for quickness and efficiency, since information is at your fingertips with a few clicks on the keyboard, compared to old-fashioned means of research. If a website doesn’t load properly and quickly then a visitor is all the more likely to visit a different site with comparable information and or services. Look at it like this: before you choose a checkout lane at the grocery store, you always search for the one with the shortest line since you think that will get you out the door the quickest.

Navigation: Is everything organized properly on your website? A neatly organized home page is key to the rest of the visit to the website. Going back to the grocery store analogy, have you ever noticed how grocery stores usually have signs above the aisles, which list the contents of the aisle for your convenience? Your home page should have clearly defined clickable links to your sub-pages so visitors can find the information they are looking for in an efficient manner. User-friendly sites frequently have similar sub-page sections like “Contact” and “About,” which provides a means of contact for questions and a background to why that website is the go-to site. Larger websites with a lot of information often provide a Site Map section, which serves as an Index for easier navigating.

Information: How you provide information is just as important as what information you are providing. People comprehend information through a variety of ways. For example, some people are visual learners, while others are audio learners. The most common way websites provide information is via the written word. That’s fine, but a large page of text can be intimidating, and some people may be less apt to read a page if there is nothing but text. Replacing text with visuals like pictures and videos is user-friendly because it provides an interactive element to the website. Videos should be kept at a reasonable length, however, since the length of a video can determine whether or not a visitor watches the whole thing and soaks in all the information provided. Podcasts are another user-friendly aspect, because it allows information to be disseminated in a fashion where users can utilize information at any time in their busy life.

Accessibility: The most user-friendly websites are ones that can be reached by anyone and everyone. User-friendly websites are ones that can be reached via multiple platforms, not only just on your computer. If the quality is diminished significantly when utilizing the website via a mobile phone or tablet then a potential audience is being limited. Going back yet again to the grocery store analogy, there are various modes for purchasing groceries: express lane, typical checkout, self-checkout, and online delivery. Websites should cater to the various modes of delivery of information.

Search-Engine Optimization: This is a commonly thrown around term, but it’s an important one. A user-friendly website is one that people can remember after they have visited it once. When a term related to your website is typed into a search engine then your website should pop up. Also, if your website has a complicated name that is difficult to remember then return traffic is being hindered.

Of course, all of those user-friendly characteristics can be improved or created with the help of professional web hosting sites like GoDaddy.com, BlueHost.com, WordPress.com, or Blogger.com.

Breana Orland is a contributing writer for APlus.net, for all your pro site hosting and website design needs.

I setup the booklet structure in Adobe Indesign; the cover page event logo and many of ads throughout were designed by me in Adobe Illustrator.  The booklet in PDF format was grabbed by the printer from shared dropbox.com 450 booklets were printed and assembled  -  Amazing project to work on with some amazing people !

The actual event was amazing and sold out !

View PDF File Here

It finally is going to happen. You and your husband are finally getting a date night. But first, you have to find a babysitter for your child. Will anyone do, or do you need to look for specific things when choosing the right babysitter? It doesn’t have to be difficult to find the right person for the job. Times are a’changing. Long gone are the days when your neighbor’s daughter would walk over and watch your child, eating popcorn and watching g-rated movies, for fifty cents an hour. Today’s kids are going to be trying to unlock your cable and are too busy texting to see that Timmy is drinking bleach. However, it doesn’t HAVE to be that way.

Safety is Key

When you know you’re going to be getting a babysitter, make a list of what they’ll need. Emergency contact numbers, information for the adt security system, and knowing where the fire extinguishers are located should all be added on the list. Don’t be dramatic, but be prepared for the worst. The last thing you want is Susie to call wondering how to turn off the alarm because the police are there.

Trust Your Instincts and Your Child

Go with your gut. Does something not seem quite right with the candidate upon interviewing them despite sparkling recommendations and background? Does your child really not like them or cry when they are near them? If so, trust your instincts and go with a different candidate. Chances are it was nothing, but you would hate to go against the premonition and have something go wrong.

Make Sure Rules Are Known

Do not assume that the babysitter is going to know what is permissible and what is not in your household. If they are not to go on the playground, tell them so. No TV after 7pm? They will need to know this. In addition, if they are to feed or bathe your child, you will need to let them know that. Oh, and do not assume it’s included in the charges.

Finding a good, qualified babysitter can come through word-of-mouth, classifieds, or even a service. Finding one that is going to be right for your family takes time and effort. Try to make an effort to always get the same babysitter once you find one that you and your child like, especially if the child is younger. This keeps the stress level of the child down and prevents older children from trying to “get one over” on the new sitter. Make sure you look at the candidate as a potential “part-of-the-family” and not just an employee.

Do you have a young boy or girl that loves to play Mario Kart or Super Mario Bros. video games?  Here are a few tips to help you get this theme together for a fun birthday party they will never forget.  Mario bros party supplies are easy enough to find; plates, napkins and the like.

• Send out Super Mario themed e-vites that tell the kids to dress up as a character from the Super Mario cannon; Mario, Luigi or Princess Peach
• Have bags of gold chocolate filled coins for party favors
• Set up one of the Mario games on the gaming console for the kids to play together
• Have a Mario themed cake decorated by a baker with your child’s favorite cake and icing flavors
• Make it easier on yourself by ordering pizza, you’ll have plenty to do with everything else that comes with throwing a party
• Let the kids have a great time running around in their little adhesive mustaches.  If they get sweaty, the adhesive might not work anymore FYI.
• If the kids are all occupied with the video games and you have time to hide some of the presents and set up a scavenger hunt, this is a terrific game for the kids to play that is away from the television screen