Students Of Success

The theme of your scrapbook can be simple or complex. Your theme could be a special event such as a birthday, a baby shower, a wedding, Christmas, or Halloween. Themes can also be personalized to the scrapbook recipient’s special interests. Special interests themes include favorite colors, sports, favorite television programs, music, the outdoors, or cultural influences.

What is the overall purpose for your scrapbook?

Who is the scrapbook for?

Who is the scrapbook about?

The answers to these three questions are all factors in selecting an appropriate theme. For instance, the scrapbook you are giving your nephew as he graduates from medical school is probably completely different than the grandparent book you send your mother. Your nephew will probably appreciate a scrapbook with photographs, poems, journals, and more masculine embellishments. Perhaps, the theme of the scrapbook could be medicine. You could create embellishments that looked like scalpels and tweezers around various pictures of your nephew during his college years.

Your mother, on the other hand, will love a multitude of baby pictures fancifully embellished with flowers, ribbon, and baby fingerprints. The theme of this book will probably be your baby. Photographs could include baby and grandma with the baby. A nice journal about your baby’s day could also add a nice touch

Don’t forget to create a title for your scrapbook page. Though adding a title might seem to be obvious or unimportant, a title defines the whole basis of your scrapbook. The title instantly tells the viewer what your page is all about. In one word or one short phrase, the title tells the reader the theme and purpose of your scrapbook.

Titles can be as basic as the date of an event, the name of an individual, or a specific event.

Titles can also be more interesting and exciting. These can include quotes, sayings, fillers, or simple phrases. The best places to look for title inspiration are in greeting cards, advertisements, and commercials.

Mia LaCron is the founder of 101-scrapbooking-tidbits.info - http://www.101-scrapbooking-tidbits.info - devoted to helping individuals record, store, and preserve their most cherished memories via the art of scrapbooking.

What could be more relaxing than gardening on a nice summer
morning? Listening to your wind chime while you garden! Wind
chimes are not only fun to look at but they add much more to
your garden then just visual appeal.

Wind chimes have tones and vibrations that soothe and calm the
mind helping to release all your stress. When you dig in the
garden and connect with the earth, listening to your chimes
tinkle in the breeze can help you also connect with your inner
spirit. Chimes have been used for much more than just decoration
for centuries. In fact, wind chimes are used in many Feng Shui
cures. You can hang your chimes inside as well as outside, metal
chimes are best for North, Northwest and West while wood chimes
are best for South, Southeast and East. The number of rods can
be associated with the cure you want. Use 4, 6, 7, 8 or 18 rods
for luck and 5 rods to reject bad energy. Use bamboo for outside.

Of course, you should pick chimes that decorate your porch or
garden area to your liking. There’s plenty of styles and
materials to choose from. I favor the chimes with a stained
glass decoration on top that comes in all kinds of whimsical
styles. If you are more traditional, you might go for a simple
bamboo chime with an Asian flair. You can even get chimes that
are hand tuned if you are really into the sound quality of your
wind chime.

Hanging your wind chimes is easy. To hang from the top of your
porch, you can use a simple C shaped hook that screws into the
ceiling. Any type hook can be used as long as it is strong
enough to support your wind chime. Be sure you hang it in an
area where it’s freedom of movement is not obstructed by
anything. You can also buy fancy hangers that screw in or that
stick up from the ground. When hanging your chime, try to pick a
place that will not get a strong wind – this way you can be sure
your chime does not blow off and break.

So, the next time that you get out into the garden, make sure
that you hang out some wind chimes so that you can add a new
level to your gardening experience!

First let us start with what diamonds are. Diamonds are crystals of pure carbon formed millions of years ago deep below the Earths crust and forced up to the surface in rivers of volcanic lava. The diamonds are then separated from the cooled volcanic lava, or Kimberlite as it is properly known, by mining. Also, as diamonds are the hardest natural substance known to man, many survived the effects of erosion and were distributed over a large area by being washed down rivers into the sea.

The use of diamonds as gemstones of decorative value is the most familiar use to most people today, but in their rough or uncut form they are a far cry from the image that we know and prize. Four characteristics, known as the four Cs, are now commonly used to describe diamonds: these are carat, clarity, colour, and cut, and rough diamonds have to be sorted and graded before being shipped to specialist polishing and cutting centres around the world. Not all rough diamonds are suitable for jewellery, the rejected diamonds are used for industrial drilling and cutting tools.

This now brings us to what “conflict” diamonds are. In 1998 it was brought to the worlds attention that some of the more politically unstable central African and west African countries were funding their wars against the legitimate governments by the sale and control of rough diamonds. Diamonds sold through this process are known as conflict diamonds or blood diamonds and in 2002 an agreement was reached by 40 participating governments to control the export and importation of rough diamonds. This agreement became known as The Kimberley Process and provides documentation and certification of diamond exports from producing countries to ensure that the proceeds of sale are not being used to fund criminal or revolutionary activities.

Recently a system of self regulation was announced by the World Diamond Council under which all diamonds sold, rough or cut, are covered by a warranty given by the supplier. Buyers guarantee to buy only from suppliers who give this following warranty:

“The diamonds herein invoiced have been purchased from legitimate sources not involved in funding conflict and in compliance with United Nations resolutions. The seller hereby guarantees that these diamonds are conflict free, based on personal knowledge and/or written guarantees provided by the supplier of these diamonds.”

An important note is that The Kimberley Process only applies to rough diamonds whereas self regulation applies to both rough and finished diamonds.

As it is not possible to know the origins of old recycled and part exchanged diamonds from before the existence of The Kimberley Process, UK trade bodies recommend that trade in these diamonds is covered by the following declaration:

“The seller warrants that conflict diamonds will not be knowingly sold and that, to the best of his ability, he will undertake reasonable measures to help prevent the sale of conflict diamonds in this country.”

Diamonds are a common focus of fiction and the latest offering by Warner Brothers due to be released in 2006 is The Blood Diamond directed by Edward Zwick, starring Leonardo DiCaprio. Jennifer Connelly and Djimon Hounsou.

The Blood Diamond is the story of Danny Archer (Leonardo DiCaprio), a South African mercenary and set in 1990’s Sierra Leone. It involves the quest for a rare rough pink diamond and the chance of a new life if found.

GETi are the UK’s leading brand of Titanium rings, hand crafted in the UK. http://www.geti.cc

Have you been told by a creditor that your debt is about to
“charge-off”? Did the bill collector make it sound like you will
be ruined financially if you allow this catastrophe to happen?
If you’re behind on your bills, unable to keep up with payments
on your credit cards and other debts, sooner or later you will
hear a creditor representative threaten you with the dreaded
“charge-off.” So what is a charge-off anyway? Should you be
worried? What are the consequences of this mysterious event?

I’ll start by explaining what a charge-off is NOT. Because the
term includes the word “charge,” many people mistakenly think it
has to do with cancellation of the account by the creditor. In
other words, you can’t “charge” anything on your credit card
anymore. But it’s not the same thing at all, and most banks will
revoke charging privileges around 2-3 months before the deadline
we’re talking about here.

What banks and bill collectors call a “charge-off” is the point
at which the creditor writes off the account balance as a “bad
debt.” It usually happens after six months of non-payment. After
that, they no longer count it on their books as an asset. You
still owe the money, of course. And they will certainly make
continued attempts to collect it from you. But the creditor has
been forced by the rules of accounting to zero out the debt on
their financial ledgers. For causing this loss, they will punish
you by placing a derogatory mark on your credit report. A
“charge-off” is a serious negative mark, to be sure, but it is
not the financial ruination that debt collectors would like to
have you believe it is.

Should charge-offs be avoided if possible? Certainly. Does the
prospect of a charge-off mean you should panic if you have no
way to pay the bill? No! Is it the end of the world if the
account has already charged off? No! Too often, bill collectors
make a charge-off sound so bad, and they apply so much pressure,
that people cave in and make payment commitments they cannot
keep. Collectors usually demand payment via post-dated checks,
and this frequently leads to bounced checks and even worse
financial problems. Most of us are brainwashed by the banks and
media on the subject of credit. Sure, good credit is important.
But committing to payments you really can’t afford just to
preserve your credit is like watering the lawn while your house
is burning down.

Here are a few simple rules to follow when trying to avoid a
charge-off that hasn’t happened yet:

* Don’t be intimidated or threatened by pre-charge-off
collection tactics. Keep a cool head and don’t take it
personally when collectors try to get under your skin.

* Call your creditor to find out the minimum payment necessary
to avoid the charge-off, and subsequent payments to keep the
account current going forward. Don’t commit to this payment (or
series of payments) unless you’re sure you can follow through.

* Negotiate a lump-sum settlement at 50% or less if you have the
resources, or a workout plan for monthly payments that you can
live with.

* Do not allow bill collectors to talk you into using post-dated
checks, or providing your checking account details over the
telephone. Instead, make payments via cashier’s check or money
order.

* Do not make payments based on a verbal arrangement. Get the
deal in writing and signed by a creditor representative who has
authority to approve the workout plan.

What should you do if you simply don’t have the money to rescue
the account from charge-off, or if the account has already been
charged off by the creditor?

* Take a deep breath and relax; the sky won’t fall on your head
just because you had a charge-off.

* Realize that you still have an opportunity to resolve the
matter by dealing with the original creditor or the collection
agency assigned to the account.

* Negotiate a lump-sum settlement with the creditor or
collection agency. Again, aim for 50% or less, and ask for the
charge-off to be deleted from your credit report as a condition
of the settlement. (Most creditors will not agree to this, but
it’s worth asking anyway. Do be sure that they will update your
credit report to show that the matter has been resolved and the
account has been satisfied.)

* If you can’t work out a deal with the collection agency
assigned to your account, then wait until it goes to another
agency! Eventually, it will either be assigned or sold to an
outfit that you can deal with to get the matter cleared up.

To sum up, a charge-off is not the end of the world. It should
certainly be avoided if possible, but not at the risk of making
things worse by committing to payments you’re not sure you can
keep up with. Just remember that the creditor doesn’t want to
see a charge-off any more than you do, so use that knowledge to
your advantage in working out a mutually acceptable arrangement.
Get everything in writing, don’t disclose your checking account
details, and follow up to make sure the creditor reports the
matter correctly on your credit report. You’ll find that it’s
easier than you think to resolve a charge-off situation before
it happens, or clean it up if it’s already taken place.

Back acne – you might not see it, but if you have it, you’ll certainly feel it. And although not everyone will get acne on their backs, this condition is common enough to have earned the nickname, ‘bacne’. Sounds funny but it isn’t really. The back area is home to thousands of sebaceous glands and each one is busy producing a lot of oil. Tight-fitting clothing and clothing made from fabrics that don’t allow the skin to breathe are two of the biggest instigators of back acne. Even wearing a backpack has been attributed to triggering bouts of back acne.

These types of clothing and accessories trap the oil that’s being constantly produced by the sebaceous glands on the back. And just like the acne that appears on other parts of the body, when the sebaceous gland gets clogged, dead skin cells become trapped inside the hair follicles and soon, bacteria is on its way, inflaming the tissues surrounding the affected areas and causing acne. If you have long hair and back acne, you might want to keep your hair off your back as well.

Back Acne Treatments

The skin that covers the back is much thicker than the skin that covers the other parts of the body where acne is prone to appear. And because of this difference in skin thickness, the treatment regime for ‘bacne’ is going to be different.

It’s still very important to keep the back clean and the best way is to bathe or shower frequently, especially after working out. Use a cleanser that contains salicylic or glycolic acid. If you’ve never used one before, now is the time to learn how to gently use a loofah so you can begin removing those dead skin cells (also known as exfoliating).

After washing and drying the skin, apply a topical product that contains benzoyl peroxide to the areas on the back that are affected by acne and be sure to allow the product to fully absorb into the skin (it can stain clothing). Also, it’s important to only treat the areas that have acne, rather than slathering the product all over the back. You don’t want the skin on your back to become excessively dry. If you dry out the skin, you’ll have to moisturize and that could cause more acne. If you cannot reach the affected areas, have someone apply the product for you.

That’s all you really need to treat back acne. Most people don’t wash their backs as well as they should so changing this bad habit will produce almost immediate results. Of course if your back acne is severe, you should consult with a dermatologist.

John Wellington is from AcneHelpZone.com providing people suffering from acne with quick, relevant and free acne resources that they can download and take away with them for easy reference.

No one can deny that sales closing techniques are absolutely
vital in face-to-face selling. But often, people ask me if they
can apply my powerful closing techniques to online marketing. My
answer is an unequivocal, “Yes!”

Of course, there are some closing techniques that are more
applicable to the Web than others — but I’ll show you magical
closing secrets that can dramatically increase your web sales,
and rapidly increase your online income. This works best on
direct response websites - i.e., those that focus on getting an
immediate response in the form of an order or lead.

Before we get started, I must emphasize that much of the sale is
made in the presentation. The close is largely determined by how
well you’ve presented the product to the prospect. Your
objective, then, is to take the prospect smoothly past the point
of closing, making it easy for him or her to come to a buying
decision. You can accomplish this with the strategic use of
questions.

The All-Important Opening Question

When you’re selling online, you don’t have the benefit of
interacting with your prospect the way you would in face-to-face
selling. Therefore, the first thing you say in your web copy has
to be something that breaks preoccupation, grabs attention, and
points to the result or benefit of the your product.

At any given moment, your prospect’s mind is preoccupied with
dozens of things. Therefore, a well-crafted question will cause
the prospect’s thinking to be directed to what you have to say.

Your opening question must be aimed at something that is
relevant and important, and at something that your prospect
needs or wants. What do sales managers, for instance, sit around
and think about all day long? Increasing sales! Therefore, if
your target market consists of sales managers, here’s an example
of a question you can use as a headline or as the first part of
your copy: “How would you like to see a method that would enable
you to increase your sales by 20% to 30% over the next 12
months?”

When you ask such a question, the first thing that pops into the
mind of the prospect should be, “What is it?” - whereupon you’ve
captured his or her attention, and you can then begin to
articulate how your product or service can solve the need posed
by the question.

Plan your opening question carefully. If your opening question
fails to break your prospect’s preoccupation and grab his
attention, he will click away before giving you the opportunity
to present your product or service.

Questions That Keep Them Involved

Questions are equally vital during the presentation, i.e., in
the body of your web copy, for clearly explaining how your
product or service solves your prospect’s problem in an easy,
fast, or cost-effective way.

Therefore, install questions within your sales copy that capture
attention. Keep your prospect involved, and keep his mind from
wandering off in a different direction by using intriguing
questions that grab his lapels and jerk him toward you. For the
length of time that it takes a prospect to answer a question in
his mind, you have his total attention. The prospect is drawn
more and more into the sales process as your questioning
proceeds. If your questions are logical, orderly and sequential,
you can lead the prospect forward toward the inevitable
conclusion to purchase your product or service.

Tip: Never say something if you can ask it instead! Think of how
you can phrase your key selling points as questions. The person
who asks questions has control!

Closing Questions that Presume the Sale

Just as questions are important at the beginning and the body of
your web copy, they are even more vital at the end in gaining a
commitment to action.

The key to asking a closing question is confident expectation.
You must skillfully craft your question to convey that you
confidently expect the prospect to say, “Yes” or to agree to the
sale.

For example, you can pose the following question in your web
copy: “When would you like to start using to multiply your
profits?” In other words, you don’t ask if they want to buy your
product, but when. This way, you’re asking for the sale
expectantly, and the more confidently you expect to sell, the
more likely it is that you will sell.

Tip: In crafting your closing question, include the benefit that
your prospect will get from your product.

When you ask a compelling closing question, you diffuse the
tension that normally creeps up on your prospect at the “moment
of truth.” A prospect’s tension leads to the hesitance that
kills so many sales - both online and offline.

To be truly persuasive in the selling process, learn to use
questions judiciously throughout your web copy. Instead of
trying to overwhelm your prospects with reasons and rationales
for doing what you want them to do, ask strategic questions
instead. When you take the time to plan the wording of your
questions, your prospect will become more interested in your
product — and consequently, you will make more sales.

One of the reasons for the popularity and success of eBay is the fact that it is very simple to both buy and sell items through the online auction site. It has been estimated that this year 30 million sales worth $20 billion will be made so it is obvious that most people have few problems with the process. However, there is little doubt that some purchasers are paying more for items than they need to. I have identified five tips to help you ensure that even if all your purchases are not bargains they at least represent value for money.

1. Do your Research.

How many of you’re eBay purchases are planned and how many are impulse buys? If you intend to buy a costly item such as a digital camera, DVD recorder or other medium priced item it pays to carry out some research. Decide exactly which model or models you want. If you can visit local shops that sell the items you are interested in. Find out what features the models you are interested in offer and mostly importantly find the best prices available. You can then go onto the Internet and search the non-auction sites to find the best prices available for the product. Having done this

you are now ready to start browsing eBay.

2. Do not rush in.

The majority of bids are made in the last few hours of an auction so there is little to gain by putting in a bid early. In fact by putting in a bid at an early stage you can inadvertently draw other peoples attention to the auction. The more bids an auction attracts the higher the final bid price will be. Click on the “Watch this Auction” but do not actually put in a bid until thee last few hours.

3. Set yourself a top price.

If you have done your research correctly you will know exactly the value of the item you are bidding on. Make up your mind what you top bid is going to be and stick to it. Sometimes when you find yourself bidding against someone else there is a tendency to try to win the auction at almost any cost. Whatever you do don’t fall into this trap once the bidding reaches your preset limit walk away.

4. Make sure you know everything.

When you make a bid on eBay you are relying on a great extent to the description and photograph that the seller has supplied. Many times though due to inexperience or just plain laziness the seller does not include all the information that you need. In this case do not be afraid to use the “Ask the Seller a Question “” feature to send an e-mail with any further questions you may have Quite often a listing with a poor description will not fetch as good a price as one with a more detailed one. This can sometimes give you the opportunity to snap up a bargain providing that you can get the information you need before you place your bid. While we are on this subject I am surprised at the number of people who place a bid without first checking on what the shipping or postage charges are. You should always be sure you know exactly what the total cost of the item would be if your bid is successful.

5. Avoid the rush hour.

Research shows that Sunday afternoon and early evening are the time that is the busiest on eBay. The quietest appear to be early on Monday and Tuesday mornings. It follows that with less people viewing you could expect the final sales price to be lower. I have picked up some bargains by getting up early on a Monday or Tuesday morning and using the “going, going gone” feature to find auctions due to finish within the hour.It can be a case that the early bird really does catch the worm.

Dave Bromley is a prolific writer on subjects related to eBay.
He is the aauthor of audio/video “How to make big money on eBay” and other publications. To register for his 6 part mini course and monthly newsletter visit http://www.ukauctionline.co.uk

If you’re a recent vintage guitar collector, the stories you’ve heard are true. You once could step into pawn shops or flea markets and find vintage Gibson Les Pauls and Fender Stratocasters for $50 to $100. True. These guitars now sell for thousands of dollars on Ebay and Gbase.

Those days are gone — but there are still deals if you know what to look for.

The simple thing to remember in vintage guitar collecting is … American guitars. Not to say Japanese or European luthiers haven’t made fine guitars, but the vintage market isn’t looking that way. If you stay American-made, you’ll have the best chance of an instrument that will appreciate in value.

Next, forget about those who claim certain years of American guitars aren’t desirable. It’s true that folks once looked down on ’70’s Stratocasters — but folks are now scrambling and paying top dollar for 70’s and 80’s models! Same thing with ’80’s Gibson guitars — once thought of as poor-quality examples, people now bid high amounts for them.

Why? Well, once the most desirable pieces are gone, whatever’s left is going to command attention.

So — to find the next “deal” — look for American made guitars that collectors are currently ignoring. Because — soon enough, these will be at the top of the food chain.

How about specifics? Well, think “student” models. Some models are already desirable — Fender Mustangs and Gibson Melody Makers, for example; other models haven’t gained notice yet … but they will!

For instance, Fender Bullets, made in the early 1980’s, are student model guitars, but are American made and use parts found in Telecasters of the same period (pickups, etc). These are great-sounding, easy-playing, and nice looking instruments. You can still find Bullets for less than $300 … although they’re beginning to gather attention. Note, we’re not talking the Squire Bullet Stratocaster-type model, but the American-made Fender model (looks like a Telecaster).

Fender also put out a Lead series — the Lead I, Lead II, and the Lead III. Again, these were an American made student series — but are great playing, solidly made, and sound wonderful. You can still pick up Lead’s for less than $300.

Gibson Melody Makers have already been discovered by collectors — but there’s not a lot of action with Gibson’s Kalamazoo line … yet. These student models are similar in quality to the Melody Makers and Fender Mustangs. I’ve found Kalamazoo models for less than $100!

I haven’t mentioned other brands — Epiphone, Gretsch, Guild, etc — because either their student models have already exploded in price or they really don’t have student models. Stick with Fender and Gibson, stick with American made, and keep your eyes on lesser-known student models … and you’ll find deals that will likely join other lines in appreciating over the coming years.

Joey Robichaux operates the Free Sheet Music site at http://www.freesheetmusic.net and is an avid vintage guitar collector.