Tag Archives: Design

Festive Cocktail Guide Vol. 1 ft Italicus

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It’s that time of the year again… and to kick it off, we bring you our favourite festival tipples guaranteed to wow your guests and to top your Christmas lists. 

Impress your guests this Festive season by creating a cocktail using a fine and majestic liqueur. Italicus is made from Rosolio di Bergamotto and was actually the main Aperitivo drunk by the King of Savoia.

This exquisite liquor is made from Bergamot from Calabria, Cedro form Sicily, Roman Chamomile, Lavender, Melissa Balm, Yellow Roses, Gentian. 

The result; a finely aromatic and floral flavour with light notes of citrus which certainly mixes well with a number of mixers, garnishes and other spirits.

Italicus has already won numerous awards including a few for the packaging which is utterly show-stopping, another reason to grab a bottle this Christmas. The beautiful design will certainly wow sitting atop your bar or drinks cabinet. 

Italicus can be served in a number of ways

Negroni Bianco:

35ml Italicus

35ml London Dry Gin

35l Dry Vermouth 

Served: In a tumbler with 3 olives.

Italicus Cup:

50 ml Italicus 

25ml Pink Grapefruit

Top with Soda add a Pinch of Salt and 3 Olives

Italicus is priced at RRP £29.95 for 70cl bottle ABV 20%

https://www.rosolioitalicus.com

How To Make Your Blog Posts Go Viral Part Two

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blogIn the first post on how to make your blog, and your blog posts, go viral we covered content, social media sharing, titles, tags and keywords. Next up we have more advice for helping your hard work pay off.

Post at The Right Time

Doing a post on Christmas Day probably won’t get a lot of hits. Posting on a Friday evening is not ideal either. Have a think when people will be more likely to be online. You can research when people are on Twitter and Facebook. Use your Google analytics to find out when the ideal time is to reach your readers.

Share your post in your Newsletter

A newsletter is a brilliant way of making sure your great posts get another chance. Even your most loyal readers may miss a post or two. Build up the people on your newsletter list by doing competitions and having one of the entry requirements signing up to your newsletter.

Press Release

Writing a press release, and distributing it to the media, is a great way to get traffic and build on your reputation. The way to do this is to have an angle and then write about 500 words on that, along with a good pictures and then sending it out to the media. Channel Mum do this well by doing surveys and then releasing the results to the media, along with a statement. A lot of companies and publications do this. You could also write about a relevant subject, or have a personal story. It is all about the angle. Start building a media list. You can do this by signing up for Gorkana’s Consumer Alert or the Diary Directory. You can also find out who the editor of each publication is by looking on Twitter, the actual publication or websites. Getting a copy of the Writers and Artists Yearbook is also a good idea. It will be full of contacts.

Create Evergreen Content

One of the best ways to turn your blog into a success is to write evergreen posts. What is an evergreen post? It is a post that keeps getting hits. Even years later. These kind of posts tend to be informative or educational. Frost has a number of posts that are still getting hits up to seven years later. Imagine if you wrote an article and it still got thousands of hits years later. That is a great source of traffic and the only effort you had to put in was writing the initial post. Win win.

Get creative with Design

Creating pictures and graphics to go with your post is a great way to market them and improve engagement. Graphically engaging people can be done in many ways.  You will get more pins on Pinterest and more clicks on other social media too. Frost writer Jane Cable uses Canva to great effect. Canva is a free design tool which is easy to use. You can also create banner ads, headers, marketing material, ebooks and documents with it. Other design tools to use include Piktochart, Venngage, Infogr.am and Visual.ly

Optimise Your Images

Optimising your images is one of the easiest ways to get more traffic and also one of the most effective. Give your images a title using relevant keywords before you upload them, then add in a few more for good measure. Fill out the Title and Alt Text. This will optimise your images and you will get a lot of traffic through sources like Google Images.

Write Long Form Content 

Apparently long form content gets more shares than short form content according to Blog.visme.co in their article 10 Ways to make your content go viral. BuzzSumo did a study in which they found out that posts between 3,000 to 10,000 words were shared the most, while posts that were 1,000 words or less were shared the least. I am quite surprised at this but it is worth thinking about. It is a good idea to make most of your posts over 500 words.

 

I will be telling you all you need to know about blogging in a series of articles. You can also check out my book, The Ultimate Guide To Becoming a Successful Blogger which is available in ebook and print. 

 

Penclic B2 And Penclic B3 Review | Time To Change Your Mouse?

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Some technology seems to stay the same, and the humble computer mouse may have changed in some ways- became wireless, have different buttons- but really it is a design that has stayed the same. Now Penclic has changed that thanks to high-quality Scandinavian design. These mice are more like pens, and the design has helped many people with RSI or carpel tunnel. In fact, it was designed to help people with RSI. And it does. We reviewed the B2 and the B3. We are a fan of Penclic. It looks great, is easy to use, even if it does not look like it would be, and is easier on your poor hands and wrist. Penclic B2

 

If you dont have any left over USB ports the Penclic Mouse B2 connects seamlessly to both PC and Mac through bluetooth. The sleek pen looks great in white.

    • The supported platforms for Penclic MouseTM are all operating systems that support HID 1.1. These include Windows XP or later, Mac OSX version 10.1 or later and most Linux/BSD flavors. No extra software/driver installation is needed.
    • Bluetooth connection (not supported by standard iOS).
    • Operates on almost any surface without any pad or tablet.
    • Implements a 5-button and scroll wheel. The left click, right click and middle click are on the pen shaft’s right side. On the pen shaft’s left side the backward click and forward click for surfing are positioned.
    • AAA 1.2V NiMH Recharging battery (Everyday use last approximately 1 months before charging is needed).
    • LR 03/AAA/1.5V Alkaline None rechargeable battery can be used. NOTE: Do not recharge.
    • Energy saving mode starts after 10 minutes, press a button to start.
    • Wireless reach, minimum 5 metres.Dpi setting 1200.

A wonderful mouse. Highly recommended.

Penclic B3

 

The Penclic Mouse B3 is perfect for both lefties and righties, it connects seamlessly to any pc or mac by bluetooth.

  • The supported platforms for Penclic Mouse are all operating systems that support HID 1.1. These include Windows XP or later, Mac OSX version 10.1 or later and most Linux/BSD flavors. No extra software/driver installation is needed.
  • Bluetooth connection (not supported by standard iOS).
  • Operates on almost any surface without any pad or tablet.
  • Implements a 3-buttons and scroll wheel mouse.
  • AAA 1.2V NiMH Recharging battery (Everyday use last approximately 1 months before charging is needed).
  • Charging via USB.
  • LR 03/AAA/1.5V Alkaline None rechargeable battery can be used. NOTE: DO NOT RECHARGE
  • Energy saving mode starts after 10 min, press a button to start.
  • Wireless reach, minimum 5 metres.
  • Dpi settings 800 – 1200 – 1600.

The dpi button is located under the mouse, the cursor will move faster for each setting. It will rotate around frequency from 800-1600 and then go back to low 800. Once the power is shut of the dpi setting will return to its default setting, 1200 dpi.

A great mouse which can be used with either hand. Convenient and stylish..

Penclic is available here.

Valentines Ideas: Perrier-Jouët Small Discoveries Blason Rosé Coffret

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Valentines Ideas- Perrier-Jouët Small Discoveries Blason Rosé Coffret

Since Perrier-Jouët was founded on the love story of Pierre-Nicolas Perrier and his wife Adele Jouët, the Perrier-Jouët Small Discoveries Blason Rosé coffret is a Valentine’s collection with romance and surprise at its very core.

 

It includes:

 

·         Two champagne flutes which reveal a dazzling secret: When filled, their beautiful butterfly engravings cause bubbles to cluster and spiral upwards through the length of the wine

·         A bottle of Blason Rosé – the first rosé champagne created by Perrier-Jouët

·         A presentation box decorated with a flutter of butterflies and wrapped in green ribbon – Perrier-Jouët’s emblematic colour 

 

Perrier- Jouët Small Discoveries Blason Rosé coffret is the third release from the ‘Small Discoveries’ collection – a longstanding collaboration between Perrier-Jouët and award-winning Viennese design duo mischer’traxler. Small Discoveries celebrates Perrier-Jouët’s philosophy of fine craftsmanship and use of nature. 

Mischer’traxler has taken inspiration for ‘Small Discoveries’ from the core principles and rich variety of expression associated with the Art Nouveau movement: combining art with craftsmanship, and infusing nature and beauty into everyday objects; the proponents of which remain at the heart of Perrier-Jouët’s House philosophy. References to nature and the use of handcraft processes, two characteristics so vital to the artistic movement, have been utilised by the laser engraving of two butterflies on the inside of the flutes which, when the glass is filled bubbles flutter to the top.

Blason Rosé is the first rosé champagne created by Perrier-Jouët. It’s name derives from the ‘Blason de France’ range, created by the House in 1956. Blason Rosé is a subtle blend of 50 different ‘vins clairs’ from the best parcels of the House’s vineyards.  Built upon the great love of Pierre-Nicolas Perrier and his wife Adele Jouët who together established the Champagne House Perrier-Jouët in 1811, Perrier-Jouët’s Blason Rosé carries their legacy of love in every bottle.

Described as the house’s most gourmet wine, it is a fresh salmon pink in colour with an intense and lively palate which has great length and character. The finish is complex and persistent.

 

Available in store and online for £70 at one of Frost’s favourite shops www.fortnumandmason.com
 

 

 

The Ultimate Guide To Becoming a Successful Blogger by Catherine Balavage Reviewed By Margaret Graham

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how to be a successful blogger, blogging, writing, working from home, Catherine Balavage, freelancing, money from writing, business, Catherine Balavage, Margaret Graham, Crikey- is it me, or is running a blog harder than it looks? by Margaret Graham

Read the: The Ultimate Guide To Becoming a Successful Blogger by Catherine Balavage and cut out the stress.

Catherine is the owner and editor of Frost Magazine, and I am her contributing editor. Working on a blog, or online magazine as I think of Frost, was a new addition for me, because my main thrust is as a bestselling author for Random House Publishers. (Arrow).

As the weeks, months, and soon – years –go by, I have learned a great deal from, and about, this extraordinarily generous and accomplished young woman. Not least is her amazing energy, not to mention her attention to detail. What’s more, she’s so polite, acknowledging and appreciating her writers for their submissions, whilst not taking her eye off the ball for a moment.

For a Luddite like me, The Ultimate Guide to Becoming a Successful Blogger has been an eye-opener. It shows just how absolutely crucial it is to keep that eye glued on the ball, and includes numerous tips which would require a great deal of time and research to unearth on one’s own.

It’s a fascinating insight into just how much hard work and dedication, constant attention, and nurturing is needed. It put me in mind of running an enormous allotment, or nurturing a baby, or indeed a puppy – said from the heart as I introduce into the house a pal for Rosie our cockerpoo. None of these can be left for many minutes before things start to fall apart.

This book starts with basics, such as design, name and the benefits of blogging, through to the all important revenue streams, and how to determine what readers want, and so on.  It’s all here, accessible and essential, and written in Catherine’s unmistakable brisk but friendly style we have come to know so well. Just take your time, and let the expert take you by the hand, and save you zillions of hours of stop and start mistakes.

 

Bravo, a book that needed writing, a book about to take off into bestsellerdom.

The Ultimate Guide To Becoming a Successful Blogger is available here.

 

 

Don’t Let Renting Hold Back Your Interior Design Ambitions

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The Big Ben Wall ClockinteriorsIf you are living in rented accommodation, it’s often tempting to put your interior design ambitions on hold. You may think, for example, that as it’s not your property then any efforts you make will be wasted. However, with a little bit of creativity and ingenuity you can still create a beautiful interior design scheme, one that you’re happy to live with, even if you are staying in a rented house or flat.

 

Refresh the décor

 

One option that is quick, cheap and simple is to refresh the paint in the various rooms. Using white or magnolia paint throughout is unlikely to upset the letting agent or landlord, though it always makes sense to check beforehand, especially if you find that the landlord or a previous tenant has made a bold statement by using striking colours or patterns. Generally, property owners will be more than happy to benefit from a refreshed interior that’s free of charge. They will also know that their tenant respects and wants to look after the property.

 

Personalise the space

 

Pale, neutral shades will provide a good backdrop for your possessions as these are what will make your rented accommodation feel like it is your own space. This doesn’t necessarily result in a cold or sparse atmosphere as once you add your own personal accessories you can make the space your home. To warm up the rooms add your chosen decorations, such as colourful artwork and family portraits, which will help make any house or flat feel like home.

 

Make good use of all the storage available, including any shelves. Fill these with your favourite books, games and DVDs as well as other personal artefacts. Even if you are living in a furnished or partially furnished property, you can still cover floors with your own rugs and sofas with your preferred cushions, blankets and throws. By making the most of personal touches, there is no need to consider that rented property necessarily presents a design limitation.

 

Buy flexible furniture

 

Remember that every item of furniture you buy for the property (unless you are replacing something that you have broken) is your personal possession and can be taken with you when you go. This means that additional pieces that you like represent an investment. Be sure to exercise caution in this respect, though, as things that might look fine if you are in a spacious property, such as a king size bed, very large wardrobe or enormous sofa, may not fit so easily into a smaller one; as far as seating is concerned, modular sofas or individual statement pieces are much more versatile.

 

Make it your own

 

With a splash of paint and a little imagination, you can really make any place into a home. If you love colour, then white or magnolia surfaces provide you with the ideal palette to be dressed by curtains, rugs, cushions and throws. Add to this your favourite artworks and artefacts and you’ll finally feel like you’re really home.

 

 

 

J-Me Nest Shoe Rack Review | Home & Design

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This shoe rack from J-Me designs is gorgeous and functional. Free standing or wall mountable if you remove the base, it holds 7 pairs of shoes and is easy to clean. It is such a clever design and saves space. This is a very cool shoe rack, perfect for stylish people who want to mix great design with function. It holds every type of shoe to a high heel, children’s shoe or men’s shoes; This is actually the perfect shoe rack. We love it.

j-me, shoe rack, freestanding, home and design

freestanding shoe storage

nest shoe rack is another elegant & stylish way to store your shoes! it is great at holding shoes without compromising on space thanks to its vertical form. this version can be removed from its base & wall mounted.

– suitable for mens, womens & childrens shoes
– can be removed from base & wall mounted
– brushed finish
– dark grey painted base & bracket
– available in floor & wall mounted versions
– easy to clean
– holds 7 pairs of shoes

material stainless steel (shoe rack), mild steel (base)
dimensions 200 x 213 x 456mm
weight 3.6kg

J-me Nest Shoe Rack, Freestanding can be bought here

Little Black Dress Hanging Jewellery Organiser Review | Home & Design

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I am always looking at ways to organise my life and make it easier. When you are busy everything has to be in its place. There is no time for rummaging around looking for things, and tidying up needs to be kept to a minimum. Enter organising gadgets, but is Umbra’s Little Black Dress Hanging Jewellery Organiser any good?

First of all; it looks great. It is exactly what it says: a little black dress. It is also very original. I mean, what a brilliant idea. It is good quality too. I was very impressed when I first saw it because of the design. It is designed for Umbra by Matt Carr. Is also available in Red.

You can organise your jewellery on the front and back, the front has 39 clear pockets, the back has 24 hook and loop tabs and the measurements of the organiser are 18 x 42″ (45 x 102 cm).

Little Black Dress Hanging Jewellery Organiser Review

After using it I don’t just thing it looks good, it is good. It holds the jewellery well and it just hangs up anywhere you want. The great thing about the Little Black Dress is that you can see all of your jewellery clearly. It saves time and looks good. What more could you want?

You can buy the Umbra LBD Jewelry Organiser here.

Would you use it?