Fashion
Hospitality Business: Some Ingredients for Success
Australians are making it big in the hospitality businesses, and it should come as no surprise considering we are a nation with foodie culture, while at the same time we are known to dream big when it comes to becoming our own bosses.
What this means is the climate is ideal for joining up the hospitality industry, either with a café, restaurant, pub or the like, yet given that competition is also on the rise, more than ever, you have to have in mind it takes a great deal of preparation, and most importantly investment, to succeed.
Dress to Impress!
I know your primary focus would be on the choice of location, and while I don’t deny its essence, you have to think of the big picture from the start, including your team. Regardless of the size of your business, and how many employees you have, along with the food and drinks you sell, you sell your brand, building it with something as crucial as stylish hospitality uniforms.
A hardworking investment for your business that’s also fashionable, now that’s what helps you build your own image and stand out from the competition, so be sure to check the range of apparel and choose the right uniforms for your business.
Get The Cool Tool!
Okay, when I say cool here, I mean it can either be a stylish one, like the coffee printer both café owners and customers have gone crazy about, or the functional one such as display fridge to keep your goods fresh and show off how savoury they are. Cool to match up your stylish hospitality uniforms and keep the customers coming!
Other than this, you would have to make a list of all the necessary tools your business requires; for example, if you’re opening up a bakery, you’d be better off investing in large pieces like proofer, convection oven, and dough mixer, as opposed to the café and the essence of all-things coffee related, from coffee grinder, to brewer, and coffee machine.
Along with setting a style, it’s about acquiring anything that would lead to an increase in profits, and in the world of today this can be achieved by relying on technology for efficiency.
Go Green!
There’s been a lot of buzz lately about sustainability, and with reason too! Considering it’s about protecting the environment and our well-being, it’s a trend that caught up fast, so you’d be doing yourself and the business a favour by taking part of it.
The way to do so is by opting for eco-friendly, reusable, and recycled tableware. Nowadays, there are more options to choose from, with bamboo, bagasse (sugarcane fibres), and wood making great plates, utensils, napkins, and cups. Bamboo even makes perfect material for straws.
You’d be able to reduce the waste, cut down on the use of plastics and the bad effect they have on our health while setting an example for others in the hospitality industry.
Home Decor & Garden
Add a Splash of Colour and Vibrancy to Your Home with Decorative Pillows
If you want to add a different vibe to a room but you don’t feel like redecorating and you are on a budget, I got an idea: decorative pillows. They are the perfect accessories to change the look and feel of a room in a matter of seconds. Just put a carefully chosen set of pillows on your sofa and watch how it transforms from a monotonous piece of furniture into one that you’d want to spend your entire day relaxing in.
For the best deal, look for decorative pillows online as that way you can make your own set by shopping from different shops if you want, but you’ll still be able to see whether they pair well together or not. Plus, you can easily do this while sitting on the sofa that you plan to place the pillows on. They are usually available in a vast array of sizes, shapes, colours, and patterns which means you shouldn’t have a problem finding ones that will fit your interior. However, there are still some unwritten rules you should follow if you want to use your new cushions right. Since they have the power to make or break the vibe and look of a room, here’s what to keep in mind.
Neutral Pieces of Furniture
When you are buying new pieces of furniture whether you need a sofa or an armchair, make sure to buy ones in a neutral colour. Black, white, tan, blue, navy and brown, can be easily matched with most other hues which will make it easier for you to create a well-put-together interior. Furniture in neutral tones makes it easier to transform your interior with the help of details. For instance, changing the decorative pillows would be much easier and cheaper than changing the actual sofa. There are new trends every season, and if you want to keep up with them, it will be easier for you to just add a new colourful throw or cushions to your neutral-coloured bed.
Size, Colour, and Patterns
Don’t be afraid to mix and match different patterns and add a pop of colour in a room. A carefully chosen pattern will add a layer of visual interest to the decor if your furniture is in neutral colours and there are not many different hues in the room. As I already said, shop for decorative pillows online as that’s the best way to find pillows of the same style but in a different size. This way you will add more depth and layers to your sofa. Plus, these variations in hues, texture, and size will make the room look more luxurious, warm and cozy, and honestly, who doesn’t want that?
Home Decor & Garden
Sophistication Isn’t Only for the Interior: Here’s What I did With My Outdoors!
Yes, owning a house isn’t all it’s cracked up to be, because let’s face it, the space is bigger than an apartment, and bigger isn’t always better, especially not when it comes to cleaning and maintenance.
Even so, I wouldn’t change it. How else would I get to enjoy a grand outdoor space? Since I love it as much as I love the rest of my house, I wanted the degree of sophistication I have in the interior, so the first thing I did was get myself a charcoal letterbox. It wasn’t an easy choice because the options are plenty and all equally charming!
Often the left out detail of outdoor décor, I wasn’t going to be one of those people who fail to see the style potential of a letterbox. Knowing it’s a piece that is meant to send a message and not just receive it, I started paying letterboxes more attention.
What I love about mine, other than its unique design and how seamlessly it fits in with my house, is the fact I get to customize it with succulents, and it’s exactly the planter box feature that prevented me from buying my primary choice, the flush mounted.
Simple yet elegant, the modern design of the letterbox didn’t stop me from wanting to spice things up the traditional way either. Growing up camping, some of my best childhood memories are around the campfire, so when you don’t have as much time to go bush for adventures, it only seems logical to me to bring them to your home which is what I did thanks to getting my built-in fire pit.
Of course, I also had to go with a more natural look (or should I say wilder?!) with the help of plants, planting them without minding the shapes, combining big ones with small ones randomly, counting on more bushes and some gravel to make it look more like an actual campsite. What’s great about it is it’s all mine and I only have to step out the door to immerse in it!
I still keep my outside mirror, and even though it seems like the outcome would be quite a mess, it’s a nice mix of the old and the new. Now at night I am mesmerised by the magic the fire creates, particularly when the mirror reflects it. It feels like the outdoors can’t get any cosier than that. Who would have thought fire and mirror could set such a tone of sophistication!
Sport & Entertainment, Travel
Make Travelling with Your Bike an Easy Task
Whether you are a professional or an amateur cyclist, if you are planning to fly or drive to your next cycling destination, you are in need of a travel case for your bike. So, for those of you who are ready to test their cycling skills amongst a new crowd, or simply enjoy the perks of roads less travelled, you first need to make sure that you choose a travel case that can ensure it arrives at the destination in one piece and ready to roll. There is no single bike case that will be perfect for everyone. However, there are a number of picks that will surely satisfy your personal wants and needs.
The Big Dilemma: Soft Cases or Hard cases?
As the name suggests, soft cases are commonly made from flexible fabrics like padded nylon, or semi-rigid polymers with specific padding and shaping to hold bikes. They are for sure the more lightweight option for transport of the both. Additionally, they are more compact and easier to pack. Because of their flexible nature, when it comes to soft bike cases, it is best to provide some extra padding of your own to ensure your bike is well supported. As an additional padding option, you can use towels, bubble wrap, foam or some clothes you plan on taking with you on your trip. (Extra baggage space! Yay!)
Surprisingly, flexibility and less weight bring problems too. You need to be extra careful when packing your bike and you need to be aware of the possibility that a careless baggage handler can load other things on top of it. This is not a possibility when it comes to hard travel cases for bikes. If protection is an absolute priority, hard cases go for the win. These are made from resilient plastics and are not as nearly as flexible as the soft ones. Furthermore, hard cases do not always come with the space needed for wheels, which is not such a big issue since there are special separate wheel bags which will do the trick and help you with your transport.
A Slightly Smaller Dilemma: Wheeled or Carried?
Even though technology today strives to make sturdier things lighter, travel cases for bikes can weigh 6-8 kg, and with the bike (and whatever else you stuff inside) you are easily doubling that figure. A larger part of the travel cases do feature wheels for easier transport, but there are few which opt for a simpler, lighter, self-carry style. When choosing the ideal case for you, take into consideration what else you’ll be taking with you and if you can do without wheels, but for most people, wheels are a must-have.
Finally, wheels or no wheels, handlers are still a mandatory part of the bike cases. Honestly, the more of them there are, the better. Bike cases are not always easy to maneuver (even lighter ones) and it is always nice to have convenient places to grab and hold onto. If nothing more, at least look for handles on both sides, the top, and the front.
Home Decor & Garden
Make Your Dream Home Come True: The Benefits of Prebuilt Homes
Building your own house is certainly the best way to make the home of your dreams a reality. But unlike buying a home where you get to just pick one and move in, building one requires you to be part of every step of the process. If the idea of building a house from the ground up feels daunting, you can consider modular construction as the fastest and least stressful way to make your dreams come true. Modular, or also called, prebuilt homes are built in a factory before being shipped to the site and assembled. This innovative construction process offers a number of benefits for the homeowner, like for instance. Read More
Food & Drink
Pre-Workout Pump Supplements: The Best Way to Maximise Muscle Growth
When you’re a gym rat, nothing is more satisfying than seeing your muscles pumping and engorged with blood. This is the sign that tells you’re doing everything right and you’re on the fast track to a Hulk-like physique! However, to achieve the super-human body of your dreams, working out alone is not enough. If we’ve learnt anything from superheroes, is that you also need to be exposed to a nuclear disaster, some chemical X, or the next best thing available to you – pre workout pump supplements.
Pets
Excessive Dog Barking: How to Handle It
Dogs are man’s best friend for plenty of reasons: they lift your mood when you’re sad, and keep your heart healthy and stress levels down by taking YOU for walks, or doing some goofs dogs know best, and of course, we can’t forget the fact they are willing to give their lives to protect you.
Dogs have the instinct when they have to defend the property or the owner, letting us know something’s amiss with their barking, but what happens when the barking turns into a behaviour problem, excessive and without reason? There’s one Cesar Millan, so what are those of us, not dog whisperers, left to do?
There’s always the help of dog professionals as an option, but if you’re willing to give cheaper solutions a try, you can start with the puppy spray collar. The effective and harmless collar (it’s pet safe!) has an in-built microphone sensor so every time your dog barks it activates the sensor and the painless spray is released in front of the snout.
It’s great with training also, teaching the dog the spraying is a consequence of the barking. Sometimes, though, it depends on the breed of dog or the dog itself meaning what works for some dogs may not work for others, and if it doesn’t work with the puppy spray collar you might find the static correction bark control collar more useful.
How this behaviour problem goes also depends on you as the owner. It’s advisable to do a bit of training whenever you can if you want to see some improvement. A situation like this requires determination, as well as patience; you can’t expect to see results overnight.
You have to show your dog when it has to stop barking by correction, and giving treats when you see progress is made to reward the effort. It’s necessary to stay attentive to when your dog starts barking, how long the barking goes to see if there is a pattern and uncover the reason behind it.
In some instances, it may be just excess of energy expressed as boredom or loneliness through barking, signalling your dog needs more activities and spend more time with you so it’s up to you to come up with more fun stuff for your furry friend to be able to restore peace again.
In other cases, there may be a health issue behind it which requires special care, and you would have to do some tests and check ups at the vet to be sure.
Furniture
Stackable Dining Chairs: Make Efficient Use of Your Restaurant’s Space
When it comes to restaurant dining chairs, there’s an unlimited number of options to choose from. In terms of style, most of them can be divided into classic or modern, and simple or complex. As most restaurant owners already have a good idea of how they want their place to look like, settling for a particular style isn’t that difficult. What’s a lot more difficult though, is choosing seating that will make efficient use of the space in your venue.
Considering how chairs are the single most common element in a restaurant’s venue, they can literally overtake the entire space unless you come up with a good seating scheme. While it’s only normal that you’d want to seat as many guests as possible, overcrowding the venue with chairs can create a suffocating atmosphere. As a result, instead of fitting more guests, the packed space will drive them away.
So, how can you as a restaurant owner fit more seats without restricting freedom of movement? One good solution for that would be to use stackable dining chairs. Long and gone are the days when restaurants used cheap plastic folding chairs to save space. Unlike folding chairs, stackable dining chairs have a higher aesthetic value and come with all the features needed to keep guests comfortable. They can be made from a wide range of materials such as metal, plastic or wood, be upholstered and include a curved back and armrests which increase comfort.
In other words, stackable dining chairs can be as stylish and functional as traditional chairs, with the advantage of being easy to store away when not in use. When you don’t need them, a number of these chairs can be stacked vertically and still take up the space of only a single chair. This, of course, is very beneficial for restaurants as it allows them to increase their amount of free floor space and still have a stash of extra seats on disposal should there be an influx of guests, like for instance on weekend nights.
While it’s definitely convenient to have these chairs stacked on top of one another, are they actually easy to move? Most stacking chairs are meant to be portable and therefore are usually built from lightweight materials. As they weigh less than traditional chairs, they are a lot easier to move for staff. When closing time comes along, the staff can easily put up the chairs on the tables and properly clean and vacuum the floor.
Furniture
Learn the Language of Scandi Design & Let Your Living Room Speak It
If you are a person who enjoys the simple, but beautiful things in life, then you will surely appreciate the simplicity of the Scandinavian style in your living room. The very chic look that blends the past, modern and contemporary look originated in Northern Europe, in Finland, Sweeden and Norway. It attracted the attention of people all over the world due to its hygge decor, fine craftsmanship and the high dose of elegance it can bring to any home. And among the basic features of this style which are the clean lines, the spaciousness, the simple accents, the decorative details and the usage of as much natural light as possible, relying on wood as the main material emerges on top of the list.
Kitchenware
Camp Kitchen: Comfortable Camping Equals Cooked Meals
Growing up to be nature lovers and happy campers, it’s needless to say for most of our nation, camping is the ideal holiday. We get to stay in nature and save on money we would otherwise spend on hotels, so what’s not to love, right? Of course this doesn’t mean we all camp the same way; there are as many camping styles as there are personalities.
Personally, I like adventures but I can’t imagine going about without the essential bit of comfort: the chillaxing camping chair, hammock, dry clothing, especially dry feet, comfy bed and pillow combination, bathrooms consisting of more than a toilet for utmost luxury, and of course most importantly cooked meals. Read More
Home Decor & Garden
Reasons Why Bamboo Towels Are Such a Great Choice
Towels. We’re taught that thickness equals luxury, but that’s a huge misconception. In fact, the thicker the towel, the longer it will stay damp. And the longer it’s moist, the more prone it is to develop a bad smell or mildew. With that being said, it’s the material that counts. So, if you’ve heard rumours that bamboo is the best material for towels, those rumours are entirely true!
In addition to being organic and 100% free of chemicals and toxins, bamboo towels on sale have a number of benefits that make them far superior to other fabrics, even cotton towels. So, if you’re considering to swap out your old and worn-out bath towels with bamboo ones, here is a list of reasons to completely convince you.
Kind to Sensitive Skin
First and foremost, the perfect towels are the ones that are kind to your skin. After all, the skin is most sensitive right after a bath when the protective layer of oil has been stripped from it, so the last thing you’d want is a scratchy towel rubbing against it. Fortunately, bamboo towels on sale are fantastically soft thanks to their thick and long fibres. What’s more, because it’s an organic fabric, bamboo isn’t treated with any harsh chemicals whatsoever, which makes it ideal for people suffering from allergies or eczema. All these qualities also make bamboo towels the perfect choice for babies with sensitive skin.
Heavenly Soft
When it comes to towels, everybody cares about softness, right? After all, few things are as enticing as a heavenly soft towel wrapped around your body right after a warm bath or shower. And there’s nothing softer and more pleasant to the touch like bamboo is. Due to its unique structure consisting of long, thick fibres, bamboo feels really smooth against the skin. What’s more, this same structure makes bamboo impervious to piling and shrinkage, resulting in extremely durable towels.
Super Absorbent & Fast-Drying
A good towel should help you get dry within seconds, without the need to aggressively rub and irritate your skin. Luckily, the ability to soak up a lot of water is another property of bamboo towels. In fact, they are considered 4 times more absorbent than cotton ones. This means you’ll be dry in no time with just a couple of soft and gentle pats on the skin. But being more absorbent doesn’t mean the towels take a lot of time to dry, well not in the case of bamboo. As bamboo is a fabric known for being breathable, this also means that it can dry a lot faster than other fabrics.
Naturally Antibacterial
The fact that they are frequently used and wet most of the time makes towels the ideal breeding ground for bacteria, mould and mildew to thrive. To keep these nasty pathogens and allergens away from you and your family, it’s best to opt for bamboo towels which are considered naturally antibacterial. While studies are still going on, certain reports show that bamboo sheets and towels preserve the antibacterial properties found in the live plant.
Health & Beauty
Reap the Goodness of Magnesium Oil – Benefits and Usage
Feeling tired and achy is pretty much a part of every grownup’s everyday life thanks to our busy and hectic days, but sometimes, besides that, it can also be a result of magnesium deficiency in the body. The thing is, even though you might be regularly eating foods rich in magnesium, you still may not be getting enough of it, which is why you should turn to magnesium supplements. Magnesium can be purchased in the form of a capsule, pill or oil, and in today’s blog post we will specifically focus on the wonders that magnesium oil can do for your overall health and body.
Magnesium oil is made from a blend of water and magnesium chloride flakes. When these two ingredients are mixed together, the final result is a liquid that has an oily feel but is not actually an oil. Magnesium chloride is an easily absorbent form of it, which makes it the perfect choice for topical usage. Let’s take a look at some of the benefits of magnesium oil. Read More