Make Christmas Memorable With Handmade Gifts

 This is a guest post written by Abhi Bharti who occasionally writes on Technology and Social Media events. He created KnowURL tool that allows users to Expand Shortened links and occasional blogger who roams around technology and social media developments.

Christmas or Xmas is one of the festivals which always remind me about my childhood. Santa Claus was the major attraction of this festival (that red color clothes and big white beard still fascinates me). Why? Well it’s an easy guess and that is Gifts, Toys, Toffees and chocolates.
                Now childhood days are over & now besides getting gifts I’ve to give them too. Choosing right gifts is a very difficult task for everyone including me. But if you really want to share not only gifts but your emotions like me then I suggest you to make these presents yourself. Your friends & family will feel special & appreciate the time & effort you put in making & will treasure them.

Save Food Save Life

 By Shabnamahsan

I have seen many people who just try to fill their plate to the maximum even if they can’t eat that much. As a result, lots of food gets wasted without any consumption. 

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We should never leave food in our plate. We should take food a little less than we feel like eating. Most of the time we finish with the little amount of food that we have taken at the beginning and we don't require more. Even if we need more, we may take it again. So what is the point to completely fill our plate the first time?

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         Those people who just waste food by leaving in the plate must think of those people who don't have enough food for even once a day. If they've a lot of money to waste in this way, then they should try to help and eliminate hunger from our beautiful planet.

Protien Enriched Chicken Soup

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This post is in response to one of my visitors Satyajit who asked me for protein enriched soup in his comment.
                Chicken is highly rich in protien which is essential for healthy body. Protien is neccessary for healthy muscles because our muscles are partly made of it. Besides making muscles, it also helps in building skin,nail & hair. Protein helps to fight disease by keeping the immune system of our body function properly.
             So here the recipe of protien enriched chicken soup

5 Points To Be Considered While Choosing Hair Accessories

 By Shabnamahsan

Hair accessories add great style to you and your overall appearance. They come in different shapes and styles and you should consider some point in choosing them


1...Safely Comes First

First of all. your safety is of utmost importance. Always choose a hair accessory that fits comfortably in your hair without pulling it too hard.

 Before choosing any hair accessory make sure that they don't have sharp edges. A sharp pointed hair pin can scratch your skin.

2...Choose According To Occasion

Choose your hair accessory according to the occasion. Bridal hair comb makes the bride more beautiful for the event. Tiara and feathers can be worn to compliment your western dresses like evening gown. Hair band go well with casual and jeans and looks businesslike.

3...Select With The Nature's Mood

Choose your accessory according to the weather. In summer use hair accessories like ribbons, butterfly clips and hairband  to keep the hair off the forehead and nape of your neck.In winter use those accessories that cover your ears also

4...Match Colour With Your Outfit

Make sure that the colour of your hair accessory matches with your outfit.

5...Consider your hair length in choosing hair accessory.

Tiny hair stickers sometimes bejewelled,sit well on short hair.Curly hair can be decorated besides being held in place,with diamante claws.You are fortunate if you have long hair as you can use any style of hair accessory to lend glamour to your hairstyle.

           These are the points I consider while choosing my hair accessories.Now tell me if you have any other suggestions with your experience  

How To Make Soup Fatfree

 By shabnamahsan

Whenever I go out for a foodie party to a restaurant, I always start it with a soup. But do you know these tasty yummy soups also have so much fat and calories. But I know a great way to make it more lighter for your tummy and health too. 
                   So here is the small procedure to do it. Drop ice cubes into the pot & stir. The Fat will cling to the cubes. Or, wrap ice cubes in paper towel or cheesecloth & skim over the top of the soup. Take care to discard the cubes before they melt.
              If you make it at home, refrigerate the stock and after sometime, fat will come at the top and gets accumulated into a hard thick form. Now get a spoon or fork and remove it easily. 

You will get a fat free body friendly starter.

               So this method is simple and doesn't need any special skills. It's a child play. Isn't it? Share your tips of making fatty soups fat free.
              Until then Eat Healthy Think Wealthy .

How To Make Your Own Spray Water Pipe

Do you know you can do many things with your old bulky Hose pipe? Well the best example is to use it as a Water Spraying Pipe that can solve your many problems like for your garden grasses or just simple watering. But How to easily mould it into a water spraying machine? This is really too simple and you don't have to think about it because i have already done this thinking job for you. Get some pointed needle like object from your backyard or the kitchen (Handle with care) and make some extra holes on it. Now Guess what? It's done. You did a great job. Use it now as a soaker for long slow watering or treat it as a gardening tool.

High Heels: Friend Or Foe

By Shabnamahsan

High heels became a fashionable accessory which fascinates women of all ages. They can certainly add striking elegance to your persona but at the same time they contribute to many serious health problems.
         According to American Podiatric Medical Association high heels are biochemically & orthopedically unsound.
Unnatural Posture
       High heels deform your natural posture. It places your heel unnaturally above your toes which causes your lower part of the body to lean forward and to keep the balance your upper body leans back. It puts your body out of its natural alignment.
Back pain
       Wearing high heels requires throwing your weight forward which changes the position of spine putting pressure on nerves in the back causing pain, tingling & numbness
Fall
       High heel makes your feet is in supinated position which puts you at risk for losing your balance causing broken ankles & other disabling injuries.
Osteoarthritis
        Osteoarthritis is twice as common in women because high heels increase the pressure on the inside of the knee by 26% which elevates the risk for this very painful disease.
Foot Problems
       High heels put greater pressure on the ball of the foot which causes metatarsalgia that is pain in the ball of the foot. The pressure increases with the height of the heels. Wearing a 3inch heels increases 76% pressure on forefoot than a flat shoe.
       The increased pressure leads to Morton’s Neuroma that is 10 times more common in women than men. A narrow toe box of high heels cause thickening of tissue around a nerve between the third & fourth toes, which can lead to numbness & pain in the toes.
It can also lead to Sciatica that is triggering pain & numbness down the feet.
Deep Vein Thrombosis
        There is a risk of Deep Vein Thrombosis if you stand for longer period of time in high heels causing blood clots form in deep veins, mainly in legs.
Hammertoes

        A narrow pointed toe box that often found in of high heels force the second, third or fourth toe into a permanently bent position in the middle joint that resembles a hammer which can’t be strengthened even when barefoot.
Bunions
       The narrow toe box of high heels cause painful swelling and bone enlargement at the base joint of the big toe which bends towards other toes leading to redness & pain.
Pump Bump
        Pump Bump also known as Hugland Deformity is a painful bony enlargement on the back of the heel resulted by straps and rigid back of the pump style high heels.
Contraction Of Calf Muscles
        Calf muscles contract when you walk in high heels. Long-term wear lead to permanently stiffening and shortening of the muscle which cause them fatigue faster & decrease flexibility during running.
Headaches
       Wearing high heels put the spine out of its natural alignment causing muscles behind the neck stiff & putting pressure on nerves that can lead to chronic headache.
Achilles Tendonitis
        Walking in the high heels results in shifting body’s natural alignment forward putting pressure on the Achilles Tendonitis which runs up the back of the leg from the heel. The higher the heel the shorter the tendon becomes. Wearing high heels constantly shorten & tighten the tendon permanently making you unable to wear anything but very high heels. You’ll get a lot of pain at the back of the heel when you try to put your foot into a flat shoe.
      When the heel is constantly elevated, Achilles Tendonitis which runs up the back of the leg from the heel, shorten & tighten permanently. The higher the heel the shorter the tendon becomes, making you unable to wear anything, but very high heels. You will get a lot of pain at the back of the heel when you try to put your foot into a flat shoe.
In-Grown Toenails
         Incidence of in-grown toenails & nail infection is higher in high heel wearer as it squeezes and squashes the toes.
                  You may not have these problems in your teen or early twenties, but after reaching 30 or 40 years of age, you will suddenly experience all the pain, deformation & several types of health problems.
              The best way to avoid these problems is to stop wearing high heels. If it’s not possible than wear it on special occasions & no longer than three hours at a time. Whenever you get opportunity slip those high heels off & give some rest to your feet & massage it with your hands. Spend time daily to stretch & exercise your muscles to increase stability & flexibility. 
                                      Using it in moderation & taking care of your feet you can avoid the ill effects of these Killer Heels.

How To Keep Dinner Rolls Warm

 By Shabnamahsan

You have prepared soft dinner rolls, but guests are still to come. Now the problem is how to keep the dinner rolls hot until then. Don’t worry. Spread a beautiful towel in the bread basket. Now heat a ceramic tile in your oven & cover it with a napkin & place it at the bottom of bread basket over the  towel. Now place your warmed dinner rolls over it & cover it with the sides of the  towel.

                               Don’t have any ceramic tile. Don’t worry. You can use beans in place of ceramic tile. Just place a tea towel at the bottom of your bread basket over the towel, pour beans over it than wrap it with the tea towel, pick it & place it in your microwave for 2-3 minutes. Now remove from microwave with tea towel & place it at the bottom of the  bread basket. Now place your warmed dinner rolls over it & cover it with the sides of the towel. Your rolls will be warm for your guests to relish.

Golden Rules Of Eating Fruits

By Shabnamahsan

Fruits are the manifestation of nature’s love for men. They are excellent for keeping our bodies hale & hearty. To derive the maximum benefits we should follow some guidelines

Eat With Skin

Apple, guava, peaches & other thin skinned fruits have their nutrients just below their skin which will be eliminated if we skin them. So we must eat them with their skin on.

Cut & Eat Immediately

If we leave fruits after cutting they react with oxygen & lose their vital elements & become breeding ground of a lot of germs. So eat fruits soon after cutting them.

Eat Before Sunset

According to the Ayurveda there are certain type of fruits like banana, guava, papaya & all those fruits which have their pulp somewhat watery should not be eaten after sunset because by the dusk they become heavier & difficult to digest. The ideal time to eat fruits is the breakfast time.

No Knife

The use of knife in cutting fruits should be minimal so as to preserve the vital nutrients which get destroyed by the sharp edge of the knife.

How To Make Small Room Look Larger - Part 3

Light Effect


Well light room looks bigger.

Make your window draper with thin cloth to bring natural light into your room. You can use blind to allow sunlight into the room.

To provide good illumination without clutter add some recessed or track lighting which resides in the ceiling.

Instead of space-consuming table and floor lamps use wall lamps to save valuable floor space & avoid clutter.


Magical Mirror


Mirrors are interior designer’s favourite for years to make small room appear big & bright.Clever use of mirror can increase the perceived size of room.

A large mirror placed opposite entry way or a bright window reflects natural light & makes room airy & open.

A large Mirror hanged at wall or stand against the wall can create the illusion of more space.

You can put mirrors on closet doors & add depth to the room.
                  Use these tricks & your imagination to transfer your small room into a cosy retreat.I'd love to hear from you on how you do it on comments below

How To Make Small Room Look Larger - Part 2

Size Magic


You can be surprised how by just scaling your furniture can transform your small room into bigger & airy. Avoid large overstuffed pieces which eat floor space making room smaller. Move the larger pieces of furniture against the wall.

 Use multipurpose furniture like sofa which can be turned into bed at night

Or extendable bed which can be tucked away when not in use.

A big dinning table use a lot of floor space.Instead of big dinning table you can use sleek dining table that can be hid under the bed when not in use.

Use open arm & exposed leg sofa & chairs to allow light to pass beneath them making room bright & spacious. Incorporate some glass in your furniture like glass top table,to lighten up the space.
 A visit to your local furniture shops which deals in small apartment furniture can give you many decorating ideas to make your small room more spacious. Hidden space saving furniture is ideal for small room. Use multipurpose furniture

How To Make Small Room Look Larger - Part 1

Living in small house is a challenging task. We feel the need to stretch out our small space & make our room look larger. It is possible to fool the eye & make rooms look larger by some decorating tricks.


Cut The Clutter


Take a critical look at your room & see if there is anything that is not necessary. Remove the unnecessary items. A cluttered room looks small than it really is. Get your room clutter free .Arrange things neatly & hide or keep out of sight items which are not in everyday use.

We want to display our collectables but it’s wise to divide it in small groups & display one group at a time. It’ll give the room a neat & fresh look.


Enhance Floor Space


Increase floor space by keeping as many items out of floor as possible & make full use of space saving closet organizing & storage compartments like shelves & racks.

We can create more floor space by using wall space but remember that too much items on wall will make the room appear cluttered & small. Use table skirts & hide knick knacks under them.

Instead of using a lot of floor by keeping several pairs of shoes, use shoe rack to keep them in a small place.  

  

You can easily hide your shoes under the bed with this shoe rack to make your flour clean 

Designate and clear the pathway. The room will appear larger if you can see the floor.
The floor should also be done in light colour to give the illusion of more open space. You can use light coloured rug or oversized light coloured ceramic tiles.

Wood strips or diagonal ceramic tiles create the longest possible straight line in the room which will make the room appear wider.

Colours

Colour plays a very important role for small rooms. Light colours give the illusion of more space whereas dark colours absorb lights & make the room look smaller. To make a room brighter & airy paint the walls with lighter version of your favourite colour as light colours are reflective which maximize the effect created by light.
If your room has low ceiling, painting one foot around the ceiling the same colour as the wall, creating a border, will make the wall appear taller.
If you paint the moulding a lighter shade of wall colour, the walls appear to recede making the room look larger.

Paint furniture of same colour as your wall & choose your furnishing of same colour. The large furniture will blend with the space & give the illusion of a wider room.