Thursday, June 30, 2016

Gifted Funds As A Down Payment Option – Mortgages

Yes, Vancouver is the most unaffordable housing market in Canada. But determined home buyers are still trying to get their foot in the door, in order to get in before it’s too late and the lowest rung on that ladder is even further out of reach.

 

The average price for all residential properties in Vancouver is $889,100 ($1.5 million if you want a detached home). And if you want to avoid paying mortgage insurance premiums, you need to come up with 20% as a down payment. For the average consumer, it’ll cost more than 20 years to come up with a down payment, according to a report by Generation Squeeze titled “CODE RED: Rethinking Canadian Housing Policy.”

 

Can’t wait that long? You’d better find some family members who are willing to contribute to your housing fund.

 

Shaun Zipursky, a broker with City Wide mortgage services in Vancouver, says that they’re seeing many more gifted funds than they have in years past, particularly for young professionals.

 

“We’re seeing a lot of clients that are coming in with massive amounts of gifts, six-figure gifts,” Zipursky says. “So families are really trying to help out in keeping their kids in the housing market in the areas that they want to be in.”

 

Showing proof and documentation of gifted funds

 

But even if you are getting a gift in order to buy a home in Vancouver, there are some things that you need to know about a gifted down payment.

The post Gifted Funds As A Down Payment Option – Mortgages appeared first on Gary Wong Realty Vancouver, BC.



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Who embodies the value of U.S. patriotism?

This year, in addition to asking consumers to evaluate the 248 brands for its Most Patriotic Brand survey, Brand Keys asked respondents to name anyone – alive or dead – who they felt best personified the value of patriotism in the United States.

“It’s clear that some brands resonate with certain values better than others. This year we thought it would be provocative to see how that worked with people,” said Robert Passikoff, founder and president of New York-based research consultancy Brand Keys, Inc., in a press release. “We edited out historical, likely-suspect mentions, like George Washington, Abe Lincoln, Betsy Ross, Nathan Hale, Abigail Adams, Thomas Paine and Alexander Hamilton, as they’ve earned their place in history. And, for obvious reasons, we ducked the current crop of presidential hopefuls and candidates for office.”

The following top 20 most patriotic Americans list emerged, a mix of entertainers, soldiers, athletes, cultural influencers and commentators.

  1. John Wayneamerican flag in the sky
  2. Tom Hanks
  3. Jon Stewart
  4. Taylor Swift
  5. Stephen Spielberg
  6. Oprah Winfrey
  7. Neil Armstrong
  8. Eleanor Roosevelt
  9. Stephen Colbert
  10. Ruth Bader Ginsberg
  11. Martin Luther King
  12. Dwight D. Eisenhower
  13. Antonin Scalia
  14. Angelina Jolie
  15. Lin-Manuel Miranda
  16. Jackie Robinson
  17. Bill O’Reilly
  18. Tim Cook
  19. Gloria Steinem
  20. John Oliver

Several of the names were not surprising. John Wayne was never shy about his love for America – on or off screen. Bill O’Reilly has written four books dealing with American history. Tom Hanks plays unlikely American heroes and has worked to strengthen the legacy of the Greatest Generation. “He’s an American Spirit Award winner,” said Passikoff. “Jon Stewart has railed against false patriotism, and Lin-Manuel Miranda has re-framed American history and created a new paradigm for patriotism. If you take a moment to think about it, everyone on the list ultimately has a valid and significant stake when it comes to patriotism.”

“The term ‘brand’ has been overused,” commented Passikoff. “Anything that has a degree of awareness or celebrity calls itself a ‘brand’ today. But in reality a real brand must be imbued with something more than talent or celebrity, and certainly more than awareness or notoriety. It needs to be a value people recognize and desire. You can find all the rational reasons citizens thought of these people first.”

 

Top 50 most patriotic U.S. brands

And what about the results on most patriotic brands? Consumers identified the following brands as leaders of patriotism (percentages indicate brands’ emotional engagement strength for the individual value of patriotism).

  1. Jeep/Disney (98 percent);
  2. Levi Strauss (96 percent);
  3. Ralph Lauren (95 percent);
  4. Ford (94 percent);
  5. Coca-Cola/Jack Daniels (93 percent);
  6. Harley Davidson/Gillette (92 percent);
  7. Apple/Coors/Sam Adams (91 percent);
  8. Gatorade/Amazon (90 percent);
  9. Zippo/Hershey’s/Kellogg’s (89 percent); and
  10. American Express/Wrigley’s (87 percent).

“It’s been said that patriotism is not short, frenzied outbursts of emotion,” said Passikoff. “Based on this year’s list, one could reasonably agree with the position that patriotism is the quiet and steady dedication of a lifetime’s work. Looking at the list our respondents generated, I think that’s probably true of every one of the names, no matter where you personally stand on the political spectrum.”

A national sample of 4,750 consumers, ages 16 to 65, were asked to evaluate which of the 248 brands included this year were most resonant when it comes to “patriotism.” Research was conducted May 16 – June 15, 2016.



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Wednesday, June 29, 2016

4 Tips for Cleaning Roller Blinds

Cleaning methods for your roller blinds depend largely on the material that your blinds are made of. Here’s how to keep your roller blinds looking their best.

Image Source: Flickr

Image Source: Flickr

Below are 4 tips for cleaning roller blinds:

Checking
It is important that you follow the care instructions of the blinds, to ensure that you are washing your blinds in a way that won’t damage them.

  • If the care label indicates that you can wash the blinds (plastic/vinyl blinds), or your blinds are very dirty, you can thoroughly clean the blinds in a bathtub.
  • If the care label indicates that the roller blinds cannot be washed, you’ll need to spot clean them, meaning you’ll only clean the spots that are visibly dirty. Source: wikiHow

Removing
Remove the rolled up blind from the mounting hardware. I’m sliding a knife behind the bracket to release it. This is a Level or blind and they can be removed in a SNAP! (they’re 12 yrs old btw)
Be sure to remove the roller mechanism if you can. You want to safeguard it from the water to avoid damage. Source: SnapGuide

Vacuuming
If your roller blinds will not stand up to being washed, you’ll need to spot clean them. This is where you only clean the bits that are visibly dirty.  You can start by vacuuming your blinds as outlined above to remove most of the surface dust and dirt. Source: HomeImprovementPages

Washing
Use the brush attachment on the vacuum to gently brush over the surface and vacuum away any loose dirt, dead bugs, etc. Next, fill the bathtub about half full of warm water.
Add some laundry detergent to the water and mix together until a few suds begin to form on the surface. If the blinds are white, a small amount of bleach can be added to the water as well.
Next, carefully lay the blinds in the tub. If the blinds are long, it is okay to loosely layer them in an accordion fashion. Allow them to soak in the soapy water for a couple of hours.
Next, start at one end of the blinds and gently wipe them back and forth with a soft cloth or sponge. This will help remove any remaining dirt and/or stains. For tough stains, scrub them gently with an old toothbrush. Drain the sudsy water from the tub.
Fill with clean water and rinse the blinds. Repeat until all of the soap is removed. If soap residue remains on the blinds, it will act as a magnet quickly collecting dirt and dust.
If a partner is available to assist, the blinds can be held up and rinsed with a shower sprayer for quicker soap removal. Lay the blinds over a drying rack or outside on a clothesline until they are completely dried. Attach them back onto the roller and reinstall them over the window. Source: HowToCleanStuff

For more tips, don’t hesitate to contact us here:

Contact:
Universal Blinds
601 – 1550 W. 10th Ave
Vancouver, V6J 1Z9
Canada
Phone: (604) 559-1988

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4 Tips to Intensify the Benefits of Saunas

Content originally published and Shared from http://perfectbath.com

Saunas are used throughout the world for their health benefits. Below are some tips to intensify the benefits of saunas – read on!

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Drink Plenty of Water
Drink 8 to 16 ounces of water before going inside the sauna room, holistic physician Lawrence Wilson recommends in “Sauna Therapy.” During the sauna bath, the body produces a therapeutic sweat that eliminates heavy metals and toxic chemicals, Wilson says. Sauna enthusiasts say that the body can lose about a pint of water during a 20-minute sauna session. Source: LiveStrong

Exercise First
Exercise prior to entering the sauna. Since the sauna promotes circulation of the flow of blood through the body, this will help you recover from joint and muscle soreness from your workout. Plan your use of the sauna on days you rest from exercise. While beneficial in conjunction with exercise, it is claimed that a session of 15-20 minutes will give you a workout equivalent to a brisk walk of 1-2 hours. This is due to an increase in your heart rate which is similar to that which occurs during a brisk walk.  Source: wikiHow

Choose the Right Temperature
The temperature you create inside the sauna is very important in achieving the most beneficial sauna session. Studies show that it’s best to heat the sauna to a temperature between 176 and 194 degrees Fahrenheit. This way, you will feel comfortable inside the sauna, you will not overwhelm your body with too much heat, and you will benefit from all the good effects of the sauna. Source: AllWomenSites

Alternate Temperatures
After about 15 minutes, you better step out of sauna room to cool down your body in air. It is better to jump into a cold pool or lake. Experts say that shocking your body with hot and cold in succession increases the effects of sauna detoxification and increase the blood circulation in your body.
You need not to get your body chilled. When you start feeling cold, you better come back to the sauna room and stay there until you start sweating again. You have to repeat this heating and cooling of your body three to four times for best results. Just be sure not to exceed 45 minutes in total in the sauna room.
When you are finished, cool yourself with fresh air, not cold water, to settle your body temperature. Take a cold bath afterwards to remove any dead skin cells. Source: StepByStep

Contact:
Perfect Bath
Phone: Toll Free 1-866-843-1641
Calgary, Alberta
Email: info@perfectbath.com

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Earn Big as a Ghostwriter — One Writer’s Tips

How to Be a Successful Ghostwriter. Makealivingwriting.comHow do you get paid what you deserve while doing what you love?

I thought about that a lot back when my freelance work mainly included writing for blogs and a local newspaper.

Then something happened that completely changed my writing business. I landed my first contract to ghostwrite a book.

That first project gave me the street-cred I needed to become a full-time freelancer and ghostwriter.

Want to learn how to land your first contract to ghostwrite a book and grow your freelance business? Here’s how:

Get Into the Minds of the Experts

I’m a ghostwriter. I help other people tell their stories and share their ideas. When I write a book with someone, my name doesn’t show up on the cover. I get paid, yes, but I’m also completely anonymous.

And I love it.

Ghostwriting is some of the most rewarding work I’ve ever done. There’s something powerful about serving other people’s stories. I get to hang out with people who are at the top of their professions, people with 30 years of experience doing what they love. And these people trust me with their stories, with their lives, even with their legacies.

As a ghostwriter, you really have to get into the mind of the person you’re writing about to capture their voice, personality, and conversational style before you can tell their story. But instead of bidding on ghostwriting projects for people I didn’t know anything about, I tapped into my network to find my first client.

Take closer look at your own network of contacts, and there’s a good chance you’ll find a ghostwriting opportunity there if you ask the write questions.

The Simple Question That Will Help You Find Your First Ghostwriting Gig

Ghostwriting is all about relationships, and it makes sense. If you were going to grant someone access to tell your life story, you would want to make sure it was someone you knew and trusted.

My first clients came through personal relationships: the mentor who ran a large nonprofit, the financial advisor who visited the same coffee shop where I wrote every day, the family friend I’d known since I was nine years old.

When I decided to get into ghostwriting, I reached out to people in my network and asked them one simple question:

“Have you ever thought about writing a book?”

If you want to get into ghostwriting, just ask everyone you know this question. Chances are, a large percentage of people will say, “Yes. I’ve always wanted to write a book about…” It’s sparked some interesting conversations and landed me some ghostwriting book gigs.

For example, this simple question connected me with a veteran artist with a book idea to teach up-and-coming painters how to make a full-time living as an artist without a side-gig at Starbucks. A surgeon friend of mine said he wanted to write a book to share his  unique surgery process to put his patients at ease and grow his practice. And it even got my dad to spill the beans that he was planning to write a new adventure novel.

What I find when I ask this question is that I end up having some amazing conversations, and a few of the people I talk to have three things in common:

  1. They have a great book idea or story
  2. They need help finishing their book
  3. They either have the funds to hire a ghostwriter or they have a large platform that could entice a publisher.

If you can find someone with all three of these things, you’ve found a new potential client. From there, you can begin a conversation about working as their ghostwriter.

How Much Do Ghostwriter’s Charge?

There’s a lot of variation in the marketplace for ghostwriting, but here’s a breakdown of my experience for the rates of a standard trade nonfiction book:

  • $10,000 to $20,000 – just getting started with ghostwriting
  • $20,000 to $30,000 – mid-level ghostwriter
  • $30,000 to $50,000 – veteran ghostwriter
  • $50,000 – celebrity ghostwriter or really busy

Not bad for a book right?

But pay really varies depending on the project. My non-fiction client projects are usually 20,000 to 50,000 words. I try to finish projects within four months and 300 hours of work. But I’ve had projects take as long as a year and 550 hours of work.

How you get paid can vary, too. One payment arrangement I use that works well for most clients is dividing the cost of the project into four payments:

  1. Up-front fee
  2. Approved outline/proposal
  3. First draft
  4. Final approval

5 Tips to Be a Successful Ghostwriter

If you can write, like telling stories for other people, and don’t mind the anonymity of ghostwriting, it’s worth pursuing to grow your freelancing business. Follow these five tips to be a successful ghostwriter:

1. Set clear expectations. One of the biggest reasons ghostwriting gigs fizzle out halfway through is because of unmet or unclear expectations. For example, if you’re ghostwriting a book for someone, explain the process and timeline, how many revisions they’ll get, and when you’ll need specific feedback from them. Put it in writing. Sometimes crazy stuff happens that stops a ghostwriting gig in it’s tracks. But more often than not it’s usually the small miscommunications and confusing expectations that cause a gig to fail.

2. Work with contracts. To protect yourself and your client’s rights, you need contracts. Requiring a client to sign a contract will weed out the people who aren’t committed, while protecting you in the case that a client does flake out.

3. Record every conversation. The most valuable tool for a ghostwriter is an audio recorder. To capture your client’s voice quickly, transcribe those recordings and pull exact phrases and sentences from the interview.  (As always, be sure to get permission to record.). Using two devices or methods to record an interview is a good idea, too.Voice recording devices/software I recommend for interviewing include:

  • Mobile Apps: Recorder; Handsfree.ly
  • Digital recorder: Sony ICD PX333 Digital Voice Recorder
  • Computer: Audacity; Skype Call Recorder

4. Imagine you’re talking to your client while you write. When I get stuck during the writing process, I imagine asking my client questions and then simply writing those answers down. Of course, you have to already have spent dozens of hours with your client at this point. Practice this exercise, and you’ll be surprised at how quickly you begin to think like your client.

5. Create a style guide for each client. We all have phrases or words we use regularly in our writing. Your clients have those, too. Listen carefully to the conversations you have with your clients or examine their writing for the vernacular that makes them unique. Then make a note of these words and phrases, add them to a client style guide, and use them in your writing.You usually figure this out as you go. For example, one client I worked with really hated the word “quitting.” Any time it came up to explain something in his book, he got uncomfortable.

Ghostwriting Can Change Your Life (Not To Mention Your Writing Career)

Ghostwriting is one of the most rewarding jobs you can do in the writing sphere, both personally and monetarily. When I started freelancing, I wrote blog posts and newspaper articles for as little as $10. Ghostwriting helped me realize I could make a living as a freelancer. Now I charge $25,000 to $35,000 to ghostwrite a book. More than anything, ghostwriting can allow you to do what you love while serving amazing people and getting paid what you deserve.

Just remember to ask that simple, but all important question, “Have you ever thought about writing a book?” And you’ll be one step closer to finding your first ghostwriting client.

Have you ever tried ghostwriting? How did it go? Let us know in the comments below.

Joe Bunting is a ghostwriter and founder of the award-winning website for writers, The Write Practice. He can be reached at joebunting@thewritepractice.com.

Small Blog, Big Income: Earn Money from your blog!

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Tuesday, June 28, 2016

Challenge #200 and Happy 4th Birthday to Us!

Wow, wow, wow. Welcome back everyone. Can you imagine how excited we are right now? Today we are celebrating two HUGE milestones!

Firstly it is our

 200th Challenge! 

That is 200 weeks of bringing inspiration to all of our followers. Thank YOU for being with us. There wouldn't be a challenge blog without our fabulous and amazing designers. Seriously they are really special people to give up their time to design each and every week and then comment on our entries. 

A massive and heartfelt THANK YOU to the designers from past and present. I have become such good friends with them and I appreciate them more than they probably know. You girls rock!

June marks the end of the DT term for some of our ladies. This is a sad time at ATSM because we say goodbye to some of our friends. 

Thank you for everything -

| RAHMAT | ANITA | NICOLE | MELISSA | OLESYA | LILIAN | BARB |
 | WEI WEI | JULIE C | MANDY |

You will all be missed but I know we will still see you around blog land and at other design teams :) Next week we will introduce the newest teamies that have joined us here at ATSM. How exciting!


Our second milestone?

Today is our 4th Birthday  - woooo hooooo. We have a HUGE line up of sponsors for you.

Our challenge is a photo to inspire you but we would really just love to see

BIRTHDAY CARDS

BUT! Use the photo as inspiration any way you like :)


All those bright colours and fun images HAVE to inspire you!


Check out our sponsors -


Happy Little Stampers was created in 2015 by Kylie (owner of ATSM and ATCAS). Kylie wanted to bring out a line of stamps that were useful for every day crafters. From cute to whimsical images, from everyday to funky sentiments there is something for everyone!

Prize: $30 gift certificate




Set your creativity free with our fun and whimsical stamps and dies. We embrace all paper crafting styles and pride ourselves in creating unique stamps and dies every month. 

Prize: $25.00 gift certificate



QKR Stampede and Eureka Stamps was purchased by Stamp On It in 2013 from the state of Colorado and moved to its new home in Michigan! We(Stamp On It) had its humble beginnings over 25 years ago and is now a mobile(on-the-road) family owned and operated business. We travel coast to coast and attend as a vendor over 25 retail stamping and scrapping shows each year. 

Prize: 3 digital images



Here is our Design Team with their creations -

(Using Sponsor stamps - HLS)


(Using Sponsor stamps - HLS )


(Birthday Word Dies by Sponsor - Paper Smooches)

















Fantastic inspiration for you to start those creative juices flowing. Over to you now! Thanks for helping us celebrate our 4th Birthday AND our 200th Challenge!

Please note: Due to a technical issue (not really... lol) the winners of our last challenge - #198 Holiday will be announced in our next winners post on the 1st of July. 



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Monday, June 27, 2016

Brookmere by Onni

The Brookmere by Onni, offers a 28 story tower that will rise above West Coquitlam.  Located at 535 North Road, Coquitlam, right in the heart of the new Burquitlam city centre. Brookmere blends Burnaby’s urban vive with the Coquitlam’s neighbourhood spirit.

Brookmere offers several amenities as well including a media room, yoga space, meeting room and 3rd floor outdoor terrace with several garden plots. The media room is a great place to watch movies or the season finale of Game of Thrones.   On the other hand, the yoga space is a great place to exercise in. You can go to the yoga room and carry out yoga to stay fit or you can simply just go there and exercise however you want to.

Another offering of Brookmere is the party room. The party room comes equipped with full kitchen and dining. The full kitchen and dining is offers you an all exclusive access to kitchen appliances. You can easily cook your favorite meals there. On the other hand, the dining is also a great place to go and sit in and have food in. Aside from these amenities, another great offering at the Brookmere is the professional equipped gym. The professional equipped gym allows you to work out the best free of charge. It lets you exercise and keep your health intact.

Brookmere starts at $269,000 and it has a total of 216 units.

brookemere4 brookemere brookemere2 brookermeretower

 

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Sunday, June 26, 2016

3 Blackout Shade Options

Looking for different types of blinds available that offer the benefits of blackout blinds? Below are 3 types of blackout shades you can choose from, including: blackout rolling shades, blackout cellular shades and blackout curtains.

Image Source: Flickr

Image Source: Flickr

Blackout Roller Shades
Blackout roller blinds can be used anywhere but are especially useful in bedrooms, where those who struggle to doze off with the presence of natural light can remove this barrier to sleep. They also prevent the intrusion of car headlights and street lamps during the darker hours of the day, offering full control over the amount of illumination in the room.
Blackout blinds are also the most effective way of preventing draughts that rob rooms of heat during the winter, so can result in a warmer space and a potential saving on heating bills. But in order to achieve this, it is vital that the roller blind completely covers the window opening. Our bespoke service provides made to measure blackout roller blinds to fit all window dimensions – large or small.
These blinds are also available in a wide range of colours, allowing you to fit them in with your existing colour scheme or create a colourful feature in the window space. What’s more, they’re simple to install, making them an easy and stylish way to take control of the light levels in any room in the home. Source: DirectBlinds

Blackout Cellular Shades
It is available in a corded design that helps larger shades operate smoothly and a cordless design better suited for smaller shades. The shade comes in a variety of sizes to fit different window measurements. A durable polyester fabric resists stains and fraying. Users can raise the blinds completely for an outdoor view, and the outside color is white to coordinate with any exterior paint job. Day and night options are available with two shade linings for varying levels of opacity. Source: eBay

Blackout Curtains
Blackout drapery panels add a light-blocking application to the classic look of draperies. For the best in light blocking, you can add a blackout drape over a blackout shade to get all the benefits of multiple types of window treatments. Source: Blinds

Now that you know some options for blackout shades, it’s time to choose which best fit your home and your needs. For more information contact us now!

 

Contact:
Universal Blinds
601 – 1550 W. 10th Ave
Vancouver, V6J 1Z9
Canada
Phone: (604) 559-1988

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Thursday, June 23, 2016

How to Be Original: 18 Ideas to Jump-Start Your Creativity

How to Be Original: 18 Tips for Writers. Makealivingwriting.comDo you feel like everything has already been said? That it’s impossible to be original, in an age where everyone has instant access to everything?

Well, I disagree.

Fresh, original writers and bloggers emerge every day. Each of us is an utterly unique human being.

Yet originality remains a struggle for many writers. Here’s a typical comment I recently got on one of my blog posts:

“I run a blog and I’ve been trying to be original in my content. The more I try, the more I get less original.

“What’s your advice on this?” –Ifeanyi

When you feel like you have nothing fresh to contribute, it’s time to take a step back and shake up your creative process.

I put together this list of 18 originality-enhancing ideas because in Hebrew, the word for life, chai, has the numerical value of 18. Pump some new life into your writing with these!

1. Stop reading your competitors

If you spend hours each day reading competing bloggers in your niche, it’s time to take a break. This is one of the top habits that can make you feel intimidated, overwhelmed, and like there can’t possibly be anything you can add.

Yes, you want to know what’s out there…but for now, tune it out. Focus on what you know, and write from it.

2. Ask “What’s missing?”

While you were reading all those other writers in your space, did you ever find yourself with unanswered questions? Ever wonder what would happen next in that trend? Or what the effect of a new development or emerging problem might have on that topic?

In every story, there are holes. Find them, and you have a new idea that spins the topic forward. For instance, in the world of freelance-writing blogging, I found no one was doing exposés — so I write exposés. They’re among the most popular posts I’ve done.

3. Listen to your heart

You are a one-of-a-kind person, with your own emotions, passions, and desires. Make a list of what makes you:

  • Sad
  • Happy
  • Angry

Think about how you can use these as drivers of posts that by definition will be unique. Let your anger or your pain inform your word choices, your topic choices. When you follow your heart, you’re bound to create something new, since only you have your feelings.

For me personally, learning about super-low rates content mills paid writers was a watershed moment in my writing career. The rage I felt at that writer exploitation drove the creation of what is now a $500,000-a-year business.

So speak out. Seek to right a wrong. Take your joy and spread it around. Great things can happen.

4. Listen to your gut

Sometimes, when you read an article, do you get a feeling in your gut that it’s all bull?

Listen to that feeling, and pursue justice. If someone’s throwing baloney, call them out on it. Be contrarian. Disagree with the conventional wisdom.

Stake out your own point of view about what’s going on in your industry or topic, and you’re instantly original. You also get yourself mentioned in the same breath with a well-known pop-culture icon or topic, which can really help you get instant attention.

5. Draw from other media

Instead of reading blog posts all day as you try to create your original blog posts, go to a play. See a movie. Go to an art museum.

When nothing creative is coming out, it often means you’re not getting enough creative input. If you feel boxed in by the written word, it may be time to branch out.

Another approach: If you also sing, or are a designer, or cartoonist, bring it together with what you do as a writer. Two people I love who create a fresh approach by adding their cartooning to their writing are Sean D’Souza and Mars Dorian. I’ve personally sung songs on podcasts to inspire my readers, drawing on my years as a singer-songwriter.

6. Collaborate

Do you think writing must be a lonely thing you do in a garret? Let me disabuse you of that notion! Writing can be a collaborative activity — and a lot of innovation and vitality can arise from that collaborative process. If you feel like your creative batteries are low, it’s a great time to co-write something.

I can tell you teaming up with The Renegade Writer’s Linda Formichelli for some of my e-books and courses made for radically more well-rounded and unique material — because it incorporated two writers’ points of view, and the two of us have had quite different writing careers. And watching how Sean Platt and Johnny B Truant collaborate on their novels reminds me that two writing heads put together can crank out an amazing amount of great (and funny!) stuff.

7. Travel

I’m not saying you need to turn into a travel writer here — instead, travel for the exposure to other cultures, customs, sights, sounds, and ideas. It’ll shake up what you do!

Think of what Paul Simon sounded like…before he went to South Africa and listened to Ladysmith Black Mombazo, and found something that connected to his roots in doo-wop in a new way. That experience rejuvenated his career, creating a fresh sound for him.

Every language has a cadence to it, and a way of putting things. Get a new slant, and you may bring a fresh approach to your writing.

Sometimes, just going for a half-hour walk, or moving your office to a different room of the house will give you a new outlook — try it! I became super-productive when I moved to a co-working spot for a couple summers.

8. Mix and match

Take hip-hop, and cross it with the tumultuous-yet-formal era of the 1700s. Who would think of that? Only Lin-Manuel Miranda, creator of the super-smash-hit, multi-Tony-award-winning musical Hamilton. He throws out many conventions, casting actors of color as well-known historical white figures, for one.

And people can’t stop raving about it. Mashups of different cultures and styles can produce highly engaging material. Obviously, hip-hop isn’t new, and neither is the Revolutionary War. But put them together, and you get something that stops people in their tracks, and makes them think. Speaking of that:

9. Ignore the naysayers

Think your concept or novel idea or writing style is too far-out, and no one will ‘get’ you? In a video at the Tonys, president Barack Obama related how laughable they found the idea of a musical about our nation’s first tax collector, when Miranda presented an excerpt as a work-in-progress at a White House poetry jam. Now, you can hardly get a ticket to this show on Broadway.

One of the most important things an original writer needs is an inner belief that what they are doing has value. If you think you’ve got something, don’t let any negative exterior feedback stop you from pursuing it…or the next great novel, or musical, or song, or investigative piece of reporting, might never be written.

10. Talk to live humans

How long have you been writing off the top of your head? If it feels stale, it’s time to find people to interview. In my Pitch Clinic class, it’s amazing how many pitches we see that have clearly been written in a vacuum, with no input from an expert or even a ‘real person’ source who’s been affected by this issue.

The result is usually something dull. If you have a fear of interviewing, practice on a friend. Then, start finding people to talk to. You’ll be amazed at how much interesting new information you turn up, and your posts will have a slant that hasn’t been seen before.

11. Collect and compare styles

A technical way to attack the problem of developing a unique style is study people who have one. What are they doing that makes their style so refreshing?

For instance, I’m currently reading the Pulitzer-winning book The Sympathizer by Viet Thanh Nguyen. His story is interesting…but his style just knocks me out! He throws $10 words around (the way I’m always telling people you shouldn’t because you’ll lose too many readers), and hardly a sentence goes by without a funny descriptor.

Read that back to back with, say, The Shipping News (a book where I read each sentence twice, once for plot and once to marvel at its construction). Maybe read The Fault in Our Stars next. Compare and contrast. Then think about your voice, or your character’s voice…and make them crackle.

12. Turn to your idols

Who did you worship as a kid? Are there long-ago giants of your industry who you love to study? If so, use them as fodder for posts that have a time-bending twist.

One blogger who’s always going to the past for fresh post ideas is Brian Clark, who likes to unpack lessons from old-time advertising greats such as David Ogilvy.

13. Write your ass off

How hard do you work at your writing? There’s one sure-fire way to forge a unique voice in writing, and that’s to write a crap-ton. Eventually, your style begins to emerge.

Writing less because you feel sad about how unoriginal you are will not solve this problem. Instead, write something — a letter to your mom, a journal entry — every day.

14. Draft quickly, rewrite slowly

Great writing, as we all know, is really elaborate rewriting. Stop overthinking your first draft — just spit it out.

Then, prepare to work on it like you’re carving a sculpture out of marble. Good writing is not less work than that! Keep chiseling and trimming and sanding and polishing, until you’ve revealed your truth, until you hear the cadence of what you want to say. Until your character comes alive.

15. Copy and substitute

Do you have favorite authors? Try copying out some of your favorite passages by hand (not kidding!).

Then, rewrite them the way you would write it. Target adjectives and choose new ones. Shorten some sections, lengthen others. See how it changes the feel? Next, apply this to a draft of your own writing. Sometimes, it’s easier to play around with someone else’s writing, and it can form a bridge to becoming more open with your own writing.

16. Get critiqued

I began my career voluntarily heading to Hollywood Boulevard once each week to have my songs shredded by my songwriter group. I can’t recommend this enough! I completely got over the idea that anything I wrote was set in stone, or was done and couldn’t be improved. And all that rewriting really helped my personal style emerge.

When someone gave me a piece of feedback that really felt wrong, I knew there was something personal to that — something I needed to keep.

Find a mentor or a peer group, and seek feedback constantly. Stop thinking of your words as precious children. Keep asking questions, rewriting, and learning from others how you can make it better.

17. Pull from your life

Where you’ve been and what you’ve done are unique elements you bring to your writing, that no one else can duplicate. For instance, Liz Strauss‘s background in teaching helped her develop her super-concise, yet friendly and accessible blog style.

18. Become self-competitive

One of the most powerful tools that helped me develop my writing voice was to focus inward, and only compete with myself. Each piece I wrote, I wanted it to be better than what I wrote last week.

That self-improvement program can drive a lot of creativity.

Be an original

There’s no point recycling what you’ve already seen 100 times online. Dig a little deeper, and bring out what you’ve got to say that no one else has said. Bring your light — the world is waiting for it.

What’s helped you be an original writer? Share your tips in the comments.

Pro Writing Secrets... 13 Ways to Get the Writing Done Faster! Get the E-book

 

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Top 3 Reasons to Use a Steam Shower

Content originally published and Shared from http://perfectbath.com

Having a steam shower can be extremely beneficial, not only to your health and body, but also to the value of your home. Here are some of the top 3 reasons to use a steam shower.

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Skin Rejuvenation
Steam Therapy keeps you glowing as warm moisture opens your pores, leaving your skin softer and more supple. Steam cleanses and nourishes the skin, leaving it with a healthy glow. It hydrates dry skin. And, hallelujah, it can also aid in the fight against cellulite while boosting your metabolism.
That daily steam indulgence is a natural detox that removes harmful impurities from your body. It can also enhance your breathing, leaving you with an improved sense of tranquility, promoting restful sleep and wellness. Source: MrSteam

Relieves Muscle Stiffness and Pain
The heat of the steam can help relax tight, sore muscles. The hot steam dilates blood vessels, improves circulation and increases blood flow to the muscles. This allows oxygen and nutrients to reach the areas where they are needed, which in turn helps loosen tight muscles and reduce pain.
The steam therapy can also help get rid of the lactic acid build-up in your muscles and thereby reduce soreness.
Steam rooms are often used after intense workouts to help relax tired and painful muscles. According to a 2001 article in the Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research, 20 minutes of moist heat is significantly more effective than 30 seconds of static stretching. Source: Youqueen

Instant Gratification
We’ve talked a lot about the tangible benefits of steam, but we can’t compile a list like this without giving credit to the actual ease, simplicity, and time commitment (or lack thereof) of steaming. Unlike so many other body/soul treatments that require extended involvement and hours of participation, just ONE steam session can inspire tremendous changes to your physical and mental well-being. And that one session can be all of 20 minutes to reinvigorate you from head-to-toe. Source: Thermasol

With an at-home steam shower, you’ll reap the benefits of all of these perks and more.  For more information, contact us now!

Contact:
Perfect Bath
Phone: Toll Free 1-866-843-1641
Calgary, Alberta
Email: info@perfectbath.com

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Tuesday, June 21, 2016

Challenge #199 - CAS

Good morning! Welcome back to another challenge! Great to see you here with us.

This week we are up to


Keep it CAS!

Our amazing sponsor today is


Robyn's Fetish Digital Stamps And More is proud to sponsor of Addicted to Stamps and More. Robyn's Fetish Digital Stamps And More, a division of I Did It Creations, was created and is owned by Robyn Weinrib. Robyn offers a wonderful variety of digital stamps and digital papers, designed to meet the needs of all digital paper crafting addicts for every occasion.

The prize for our winner is 3 digital images


Here is our inspiration for you -

Susan - 
using sponsor image "It's a Dragonfly Day"





















Over to you now


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Monday, June 20, 2016

More Blog Traffic With Pinterest: Inside One Writer’s 161% Jump

Get more blog traffic with Pinterest. Makealivingwriting.comI remember the first time I heard of Pinterest. It was four years ago. I was having coffee with a friend. She couldn’t stop talking about the platform, and how to get more blog traffic with Pinterest.

Her enthusiasm for Pinterest was infectious. When I got home that day, I created an account and started pinning away.

Want to know how to use Pinterest to grow your blog traffic? Let’s look at this platform’s potential to help bloggers.

The power of Pinterest

Today, Pinterest is one of my top sources for website traffic, second only to Google. In fact, over the past year, I’ve been able to increase my page views 161 percent, which lead to a 151 percent increase in my blogging income.

And no, I’m not a food, fashion, or crafting blogger. It doesn’t matter what your niche is. With the right approach, Pinterest can be a game-changer for building an audience and growing your business. If you’re not using Pinterest, you’re missing out.

Want more proof that Pinterest works?

Last year, Daniela Uslan, a freelance writer and blogging coach, tripled her blog traffic with Pinterest in less than a month — with fewer than 100 followers.

And she’s not the only blogger to see major success with Pinterest.

Addi Ganley, a personal finance blogger, doubled her blog traffic and hit the 600,000 mark for monthly page views within a year. While Addi had a multi-step approach for increasing her blog traffic, Pinterest accounted for 200,000 of those monthly page views.

Ready to learn how to use Pinterest for your blogging or freelance writing business?

Here are the four strategies I’ve used to exponentially grow my traffic:

1. Create an account

When you create a Pinterest account, you have two options. You can either set up a personal account or a business account. You’ll want to choose the latter of the two.Pinterest3

When you set up a business account, you’ll get access to special features that are not included with personal accounts, such as, rich pins (which add additional snippets of information to each of your pins), analytics, and paid advertising options.

Have you already set up a personal Pinterest account?

No problem. Pinterest allows you to switch from a personal account to a business account (it’s easy – I had to do this myself). Go to this page and click on the “convert account” and it will walk you through the steps.

Complete your profile

Remember to fill out your profile completely. Use a professional-looking headshot, add a keyword-friendly description, and links to your website and social media profiles.

Verify your website with Pinterest

You’ll also want to verify your website which can be done by adding a snippet of code to your blog or through the Pinterest Verify plugin. And if you don’t have a website, you can still create a Pinterest account and start using it.

Add social share buttons

Most importantly, you’ll want to ensure the images on your blog are pin-ready by adding social share buttons to all of your blog posts. This can be accomplished through a variety of plugins and widgets. Shareaholic is a free social sharing plugin, and Social Warfare is a paid social sharing plugin.

2. Set up boards

Now that your profile is in place, it’s time to start creating your virtual bulletin boards. This is where you’ll add your content.Pinterest2

Create boards using keywords

Because Pinterest acts as a search engine (users can search by pin, board, user, or related content), you’ll want to create boards with catchy titles and keyword-rich descriptions. Take time to research keywords in your niche and diversify your boards accordingly.

While you want to target a wide variety of keywords and topics in your niche – you don’t want to dilute your efforts by having too many boards. In fact, according to a study by BoardBooster, the majority of successful pinners have less than one hundred boards, and top pinners with 3 million followers have an average of 62 boards.

You don’t have to create all of your boards in one day. Start with five to 10 boards that contain catchy titles, rich descriptions, and high-quality pins. And from there, you can build up. I currently have 73 boards, but 44 of those are group boards.

Once you’ve created your boards and added your descriptions, you can arrange them in any order you wish. I suggest moving your most important boards to the top row, as these will receive the most visibility.

3. Choose pin-worthy imagesPinterest1

To create eye-catching pins — here’s what you need to know.

Find the perfect image

If you have a niche where you are taking your own photos, you’ll want to educate yourself on proper lighting, staging, and composition. Luckily, there are tons of free photography guides online where you can sharpen your skills. If your blog is unrelated to foods, fashion, or crafts, you can use inexpensive or free stock photos. 

Make your images stand out

According to a study done by Curlate, the following features will help your image stand out from the crowd and generate more repins.

  • Choose images with warm colors
  • Avoid dark images
  • Make your images vertical with a 2:3 or 4:5 ratio
  • Avoid using images with faces

Add text to your images

Why add text to your image? Research shows that pins with text overlays perform better than images without text.

To add text (usually the title of your blog post) to your images, try a photo editing program like PicMonkey or Canva. Both platforms are free for basic use, and they’re simple to use. If you have an indecisive personality, try Canva. It has ready-made templates and font combinations that can take some of the guesswork out the design process.

To help create the right color combination for your image, check out ColourLovers.com. This site has tons of color palate combinations with HEX codes (the numeric expression of each color) to help you create a professional and polished-looking image.

Write engaging descriptions
Even though Pinterest is a visual platform, written descriptions for your pins are equally important. Like your blog content, your pin descriptions should be conversational, keyword-rich, with clear and concise explanations of the content.

You should also include a Call to Action in each description. According to a study done by reachli.com, Pinterest descriptions that contain a CTA see an 80 percent increase in engagement.

4. Plan your pinning strategy

Now for the fun part…pinning content.

While you want to pin your own content to your boards, you’ll want to do it in a strategic manner over an extended period of time.

Create a pinning schedule
You can manage your content and pinning schedule via a spreadsheet, or you can use a third-party scheduling tool like BoardBooster, ViralTag, or Tailwind.

Because Pinterest is an algorithmic platform like Facebook, you’ll want to diversify how you pin. Try combinations of manual and automatic pinning at different times during the day.

According to this infographic from Buffer, the best times to pin are afternoons, nighttime, and Saturdays. Experiment and figure out what times your target audience is online and using Pinterest.

You’ll also want to diversify your content by pinning other people’s content to your boards.

For my audience, I’ve found that pinning from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. yields the best results. I use a third-party platform called Board Booster to schedule nighttime pins. And during the day, I pin manually.

How many pins should you pin each day?

According to Ahalogy, if you want to aggressively grow your Pinterest following you should aim for 20-25 pins per day. On average, I do 40 pins per day (manual and scheduled) and spend about 20 minutes pinning and 20 minutes on image creation.  I also have a virtual assistant who creates pinnable images for me. And I spend about 60 minutes a day Pinterest marketing.

Use group boards

One feature Pinterest has that other social platforms don’t is group boards. These shared boards have the potential to extend your reach exponentially by showcasing your pin to other pinner’s followers. However, you’ll want to be cautious when creating and joining group boards, because other people’s pins will also go out to your followers.

When joining group boards, look for well-defined groups that pertain to your niche and that have quality assurance rules in place for its members. You’ll also want to monitor the board’s activity to see that it has the right balance of engagement.

If the board is a ghost town or there too many spammy pins being promoted, you can choose to leave the group. Apply the old adage “quality over quantity” to group boards, and you should see good results.

Use Pinterest to grow your blog

If you’re ready to increase your blog traffic — try implementing these Pinterest strategies. It may be your ticket to exponential blog growth.

Have you had success using Pinterest to grow your blog? Leave a comment below.

Holly Reisem Hanna is the publisher of the award-winning blog, The Work at Home Woman. Stop by to find out more about paid writing assignments.

Get the FREE E-BOOK: 100+ Freelance Writing Questions Answered!

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Saturday, June 18, 2016

Winners - Challenge #197

Time to announce our winners from our last challenge (#197 Make your Mark). We had wonderful entries which makes it so hard to choose our winners! We LOVE your participation and support of ATSM. 

On to our winners - 

Our 

HONOURABLE ADDICTS









Congratulations to you all. Please grab your badge to display on your blog. 



Our 

TOP ADDICT


and the winner of the prize from


is


Happy Birthday

Congratulations Ashwini! Beautiful colouring on a gorgeous, bright card!

Please grab your badge to display on your blog and contact Kylie at kyliepurtell@gmail.com within 5 days to claim your prize. 



Our current challenge is #198 Holiday







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