Price, design or uniqueness? Factors affecting your clothes-buying decision

What’s the first thing that goes through your mind when you’re trying to find a unique piece of clothing to add to your collection? Is it price or it is the design of the clothing or is it the unique prints you see on the fabric used…etc? Or maybe it’s all of the above? The type of clothing we buy depends very much of what our budget is like and how much we want it, seriously. Sometimes, we would bend our budgets backwards just so we can have that branded halter tank top and sometimes we prefer to stick with clothes that don’t cost an arm and a leg but have a unique design.

 

There are, as I have discovered, many types of shoppers. First, there’s the young and trendy bunch of clothes shoppers who are young, have a little bit of money and no responsibility and willing to spend their money on big brand names. Secondly, we have the ones who prefer to spend as little money as possible on the unique clothes that they buy and their focus is in having a bigger collection as opposed to having recognized brand names. Then thirdly, we have those are not very particular about either price or design, these people can swing both ways any time they want. What they look for is uniqueness of the clothes. They would rather have someone shave their eyebrows off rather than be spotted wearing the same clothing as someone else in a party!

All heated up about heat transfer t-shirts

You know, personalizing and customizing your own t-shirts these days is literally a walk in the park these days considering the availability of technology. With a little bit of ingenuity, a picture, Adobe Photoshop (maybe you don’t even need it if your needs are simple), heat transfer and a quality t-shirt is all you need to create your own clothing! With that said, you could take tons of pictures and iron them on to your own clothes or brand new plain t-shirts that you can grab at during warehouse sales will do the trick, quite honestly. In fact, a lot of PC-quick kids and teens are doing it on their own too with their own computer and printer.

 

Now, the problem and disadvantage of doing your own heat transfer thing on your t-shirt is this….to get it to stick long enough past your next birthday! Most of them don’t last past the week, let me tell you that, and it’s a sorely disappointing experience! You could be all excited about something you created and ironed on to your t-shirt and quite suddenly, after the third wash, it’s a plain white t-shirt all over again. ‘Whatever happened to the heat transfer job?”, you ask and you look at the almost-brand-new t-shirt. The problem with normal heat transfer sheets that you can get off your computer or clothing store is that they are not MADE to last! It doesn’t seal in the creative design onto the t-shirt properly. Commercial industrial heat transfers lasts longer because of the quality. The problem is that unless you get in bulk, it is difficult trying to get your hands on commercial heat transfers.

Party Gifts and Favors to Remember

Are you planning to hold an elaborate party in your home soon and can’t think of anything fun, exciting, unique and yet memorable to use as a party gift? Be it a party for kids or adults, having a party gift for the party is just as important as sending out the invitations. It gives the attendants something to remember your party by and since you would be spending a considerable amount of time and energy into putting the party together to make sure that it’s a good one, I think you’d want people to remember your party some time later….like, perhaps ten years down the road!

 

For the kids, it’s easy to settle since kids generally love party packs! You can pack all types of goodies into the party pack that will send them to the dentist but don’t forget to put something memorable into the pack too! A good way to do that is to take a picture of the host or birthday girl (or generally, the star of the party) with everyone who attended when they arrive. Then while the party is going on downstairs, print out each of those pictures and slot them into the party pack! There….settled. If you’re holding a party, generally, for everyone, then take a group photo and give them away at the end of the party.

How to be a Hip mom

 

Motherhood is an all-encompassing responsibility….a vocation, in fact that zaps your energy, time and resources. Being a mother often means that she has less time for herself and is constantly in a ‘caring’ mode – not for herself but for others around her. This, over a period of time, can erode her self confidence and ability to feel good about herself. How many of us wish that we can be what Angelina Jolie is? A mother and yet a very fashionable, well-respected and hip mom?

 

While we may not have the beauty, caliber and financial resources to be the kind of hip mom that Jolie is, there are lots of other things we can do to become as hip a mom as we can be. Paying attention to our own personal needs is the first step we need to take. A good example would be to have between 15 to 30 minutes every day to focus on ourselves. Hip moms are not born overnight so you need to do this over a long period of time before you can be considered hip.

How to personalize your own space or home

It takes very little to personalize a room. And indeed, a room is a very personal space unless you’re sharing it with someone else, of course. But even if you’re sharing a room with someone else, you can always claim a corner or a particular space in the room as your own. It’s proven that having one’s own personal space all to himself or herself, be it a room or a corner of a room, is an important part of living. Some people think that personalizing a room is a big problem and it involves big budgets and major renovations. Nah, that’s not true at all!

 

Here are some ways that you can personalize your room without busting a budget.

A Personalized Gift For Kids Is More Special

Buying a gift for someone special can be a vexing experience because of the close relationship. Even if you’re not close to that person in particular but instead, you’re close to his/her parent, I know you’d want to make sure you get something that will put a smile on the face of the recipient. And it’s not all that easy. For instance, a couple of months back, I spend weeks and days scouring through the shelves of the shopping malls near by home looking for a present for a neighbor’s daughter. I could have stuck to something really conventional, like Barbie Dolls or some cooking set but I know she’s got tons of those and my neighbor would probably toss it aside or pile it together with the rest of her existing toys, never to be played with again until years later….when she’s already too old to appreciate the present. And besides, kids are pretty fickled creatures because they change their minds ever so often, so it’s really tough trying to find something really special. Sadly, the only person who knows what the kid really likes, other than the kid her/himself, are the parents.

Making a Birthday Unique With a Theme

Whether you’re 1-month old, 4, 25 or 52 years old, a birthday is always a special celebration. Unbeknownst to you, as your birthday roll around, your friends and family are probably pestering you to throw a birthday party! The surprising thing is that surprise parties are almost a thing of the past simply because they’re so easy to predict these days. Whenever it’s near your birthday and you can’t get any of your friends on the phone, suddenly your brother’s got an important meeting in some far off unheard-of country and your mother can’t cancel her bridge game, you know something’s up, don’t you? The really good type of birthday parties is the ones that everyone sits down and plans together. Or a birthday party with a theme, I guess.  

Sticking To What Works
The pajama party always works with girls. And not surprisingly, the pajama birthday party concept or theme works regardless of how old you are. Well, maybe if you’re fifty-nine and above, you might change it from pajama birthday party to bridge birthday party. Tubs and tubs of ice-cream and stacks upon stacks of DVD work too. The only thing is the cleaning up tomorrow morning….which I usually call the cleaning lady up tomorrow for a good clean-up.

Giving Your Home A Brand New Look

The huge leather couch. The deep brown mahogany dining table. The expensive china vase and exquisite painting on the wall. They all help define and decorate the home in a big way. But did you know that even the small stuff counts? The stuff you collect over the years, like the small teddy bear porcelain figurine someone gave you for your anniversary you have placed on the coffee table or the flower arrangement you got from your husband as a gift counts for something too. Whenever you’re out shopping for home décor ideas, don’t forget the small stuff.  

Change the furniture around
If there isn’t a budget for a big change in the house, this is something you can do without busting your budget. In fact, there isn’t a budget for it. All you have to do is to change the position of the furniture in your house or maybe shift things around a little bit, in a practical sort of way, of course, to give your house a new look. This way, you get the new feel that you want and the bank account remains untouched.  

Trying Too Hard To Look Good Makes One Go Over The Edge

The line between tantalizing and tacky is a blurry one. Sometimes, it’s better to be just….you know, casual and simple. Even in the world of blitz and glitter, stars, celebrities, singers and songwriters have taken the cue. Of course, they usually make headlines during big events with fancy designer dresses, blinding jewelry and Jimmy Choo shoes, but during less formal events, I can see (happily so) that many of them make an effort to dress in such a way that is a fashion statement without crossing the line to tacky.

The queen of tacky and outrageous outfits, the one that I can think of right now, is probably Cher. Despite her vocal prowess and incredible stage presence, Cher never ceases to amaze me with her ‘costumes’. Take, for example, this outfit on Cher. Tattered clothing does not a fashion make! She looks like she walked into a shredder and sprinkled gold dust onto it as a last minute ‘glamorizing’ effort.

Not-so-boring t-shirts

When you get back home from home, what’s the first thing that you do? Apart from checking the mail, of course. I think for most people, the first thing that they do when they get home is to peel of their uncomfortable and grimy clothes that they have been wearing the whole day and pull something really comfortable over their heads. For some, perhaps you as well, this is usually a t-shirt. 100% cotton t-shirts are known as a good choice for casual clothes or home wear. And that is why many celebrities have become wiser. Instead of putting all their eggs into one basket, i.e. their singing or acting career, some of them branch out into clothes designing (mostly basic casual clothes or t-shirts), fragrances, cosmetics and stuff like that. Logical and wise, I would say, but it takes more than a pretty face and prepped body to make a good designer. I’ve been at this for a long time, I should know!

Don’t need to slim down to look good

It’s amazing what celebrities and youngsters today are willing to do to their own bodies in a bid to look ‘good’. Looking good is an extremely subjective matter. Looking good should not be a matter how thin or how fat a person is. In order to be attractive, first, one must FEEL attractive, regardless of the clothes that person has on his or her body. Being comfortable in one’s skin is an important aspect of having a good image of yourself. If a woman is having a bad day and is down emotionally, she will not look good….regardless of what clothes she is wearing and how much she has spent on that Prada bag hanging off her shoulder! The inner glow that I am talking about is self confidence and health! Once you’ve ironed out this crease, you can wear anything (or wear nothing) and still feel and look like a million bucks.  

Mixing and matching makes perfect sense

Apart from the conventional cocktail dresses or evening gowns, in a woman’s closet, there should be lots of different materials that she can mix and match to suit the occasion. For a quick shopping trip, you can try slipping on that halter-neck matching it with your favorite pair of jeans. For a friend’s birthday bash, you might want to pull out the hardly-worn tube top your ex-boyfriend gave you as a gift and put it together with a nice A-line skirt. It’s more fun to mix and match your outfit for different occasions than to put on something already set. The flexibility of coming up with something different….a new look….is so much more enjoyable, don’t you think? Of course, when it comes to mixing and matching, you can always pick your favorite personalized clothing and match it up with your jeans or plaited pants to give your outfit a more creative and customized feel to it! Why be boring when you can get creative? You’re given even more creative freedom with the wide range of accessories for ladies. For instance, handbags, necklaces, bracelets, earrings, handbags, shoes, belts, scarves, etc!  

I love earrings, so, I am going to talk about earrings in this post. I often scour the Internet for great buys and I stumbled on these gems and thought you might want to check them out.

 

I caught this here and thought some of you might something of it. These earrings are mainly made for casual outings or when you are out clubbing. The soft feathers to the earrings gives it a very feminine feel.

What’s your body shape? What should you wear? Part II

Yesterday, I was talking about body shapes and how to find the right type of clothing to complement it. Although a lot of people would love to have the curvy shape of the S type of body, there’s good in every single body shape. With the right kind of clothes, you can always downplay your weaknesses and emphasize the positive instead. Pretty much the kind of stuff that make-up artists’ do.  People with the H shape suffers from the lack of curves, which means that their shoulders and hips are pretty much in line with each other. These people, especially if they’re thin, tend to have difficulty finding clothes that make them look sexy or curvy. Compensate for the lack of curves with lots of bold prints, colors to add curves to your body! Experiment with all of them – I think belts are extremely useful to help women with the H body shape when it comes to making the waist look thinner. Jackets with gathers at the hem, A-line skirts, and bootleg pants or jeans are perfect for these women.

What’s your body shape? What should you wear? Part I

When asked, most people would be able to tell you their own body shape – either they are pear, round or straight. The body shape of a person plays an important part where choice of clothing is concerned. Each and every body shape and figure has its good and bad – but most people would want an S shape body because it’s well-proportioned, with slim waistline, well-endowed bust-wise and hip-wise. Pretty much like Beyonce, I would say. Without knowing what your body shape is, it’s hard to find clothing that could fit and flatter you. According to experts, there are 7 types of shapes for a woman’s body.

For one, there’s the M shape. The M shape body have rather straight and soft body line with their hips and bottoms wider than shoulders and bust. People with this type of body should opt for something off-shoulder or low necklines that could bring attention to the top away from the bottom. Jackets and nice cardigans would work well for you as well!

More And More Women Count On Customized Clothing

When asked, most urban girls and working ladies within the NYC admit that they either purchase their clothes from nearby shopping malls and brand stores. That’s nothing surprising at all, is it? But what’s surprising is that there is a growing number of people who shop for their clothes online now! Most of those who participated are young women ranging from teenagers to young, working adults. The convenience of shopping for ladies clothing online means that they can save the time for something else. For instance, instead of crawling the mall, they can book a time for the much-needed tennis game with their good friends! Modern living dictates that we’re consistently busy and tight for time. Whatever spare time we can find, we treasure it to the last second.