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xacheri · 1 year

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Brower Electric - Commit #4 - Current Project Cards

This commit (or series of commits), I built the current project cards and the small footer on the bottom of the page, as well as some minor changes for typos and such.

On Desktop:

On Mobile:

(If you're viewing this post on desktop, sorry about the image quality here)

In Between:

The HTML:

Our Current projects will be contained in a div that is always 90vw wide with 5% margins on either side.

Originally, I wanted to keep everything in a Bootstrap Grid, but they occupy the space between CSS Tables/Grids and Flexboxes. For this particular situation, Flexboxes will be the best utility because the justify-content-between tool sounds like it will be useful for the way I want the responsiveness to work.

There are currently 2 projRow divs with 2 unstyled "col" divs in each that contain one bootstrap card.

The rows are flexed with flex wrap enabled and they take up 100% the width of their parent section.

The cards are the basic Bootstrap 5 card components. They use a grid and have several pre-made breakpoints in the cards and pre-styled classes for card content.

The max-width-projCards helps me control the width of the cards.

We have a div that centers its content. It contains an <hr> (horizontal line) tag that is 75% the width of the page and has a 2px black border.

Then we have our footer. 2 centered <p> tags one has the footer paragraph with <br> tags separating the lines. One is a simple footer nav.

The CSS:

I did not write much custom CSS here. I changed the card-text to black since my default <p> color is white. The title also got some styling to match the page.

The .max-width-projCards sets the max width to 100% of the viewport. But by default it is 500px.

The projRow contains that space around justify content thing I was talking about earlier. It keeps all the divs organized equally apart.

Conclusion:

This commit, I learned more about the peculiarities of the Bootstrap Grid and a situation where a more traditional flex-box is appropriate. I think it is important that I learn more about these core code-design decisions as I improve in my skills as a developer.

You can visit the site's github repository here: https://github.com/Xacheri/BrowerElectric

#programming #html css #bootstrap 5 #web development #computer science

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pincage · 5 years

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#wolverine #my art #sorry for the shit quality i drew it at like 2px on drawpile

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dccomicsnews · 4 years

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Review: CATWOMAN 80TH ANNIVERSARY 100-PAGE SUPER SPECTACULAR

[Editor’s Note: This review may contain spoilers]

Writers: Paul Dini, Ann Nocenti, Tom King, Jeff Parker, Liam Sharp, Mindy Newell, Chuck Dixon, Will Pfeifer, Ram V, Ed Brubaker

Artists: Emanuela Lupacchino, Mick Gray, Robson Rocha, Daniel Henriques, Mikel Janin, Jonathan Case, Liam Sharp, Lee Garbett, Kelley Jones, Danny Miki, Pia Guerra, Fernando Blanco, Cameron Stewart

Colours: Laura Allred, Alejandro Sanchez, Jordie Bellaire, Jonathan Chase, Liam Sharp, Alex Sinclair, Steve Oliff, John Kalisz, FCO Plascencia, Cameron Stewart

Letters: Wes Abbott, Saida Temofonte, Clayton Cowles, Jonathan Chase, Tom Napolitano, Tom Orzechowski, Steve Wands, Gabriela Downie, Cameron Stewart

Reviewed By: Derek McNeil

Summary

Catwoman 80th Anniversary 100-Page Super Spectacular: Our gal Catwoman is turning 80 next year (and looking very good, if we meow say), and DC is celebrating with nothing less than with a huge soiree, invite only, packed with creators who mean the most to her and to whom she means the most! Stories featured in this 100-page spectacular include a tail-sorry, tale-that takes place at the end of the Brubaker/Stewart Catwoman run, in honor of artist Darwyn Cooke. Plus, Catwoman is caught by an exotic cat collector, runs into a wannabe thief trying to prove himself as her apprentice, encounters a mystery involving memorabilia from alternate continuities, and of course some Bat/Cat fun.

Positives

In Scott Snyder’s final issue of Justice League, the League set off on an epic battle to “give reckoning to every story, every event throughout history. The ones you know… and the ones you do not”. The implication seems to be that all iterations of DCU continuity through the matters. Everything matters.

This Catwoman 80th Anniversary exemplifies that theme beautifully, presenting us with stories with various different versions of Catwoman as she’s been presented through her history. The current canon version of Catwoman appears, as does the dominatrix prostitute version from Batman: Year One. Even the Catwoman as played by Julie Newmar in the 1966 Batman TV show appears. If you included the pin-ups scattered throughout the issue, just about every version of Catwoman is represented.

As often happens with an anthology book, the stories are not all equal in quality. However, there are no clunkers. Each is at least an entertaining read. However, a few of the stories stick out as especially good ones.

Positives Cont.

“Little Bird” by Mindy Newell and Lee Garbett is a touching story. Years ago, one of Selina’s foster mothers wanted to pass on a Mezuzah onto Selina some day. When Selina sees that it is now on display, Selina makes sure it is returned to its rightful owner. This story shows that even Frank Miller’s street-hardened version of Catwoman has a tender side. She has some treasure pleasant memories in her childhood, even if it was mostly terrible.

Another interesting story by Will Pfeifer and Pia Guerra places a disoriented Selina at a mysterious Bat-Con. This is an odd comic convention where the characters themselves appear to sign autographs or hold panels where fans can directly question them.

There are even some moments of “leaning on the fourth wall” that refer to the Catwoman 80th Anniversary special itself. The special’s cover is visible in one panel as a poster. Also, the “current story line” is referred to as “the one that ends in a couple of pages?”. And it even refers to Tom King’s story in the special when a fan mentions, “I hear she gets pregnant again. And this time the dad is you know who”.

Positives Cont.

Speaking of which, “Helena” by Tom King and Mikel Janin is the real gem of the issue. King’s Batman Annual #2 from 2017 showed vignettes from the romance between the Bat and the Cat over the years, even into the future. However, this story focuses in on their daughter, starting with the discovery of Selena’s pregnancy.

This story show Selena struggling with impending motherhood. Like a cat, Selena is a free spirit and hates to be tied down. However, she feels that a child will do exactly that. However, anyone who knows cats, will also know how strong the maternal instinct is. Selena comes to accept her daughter, happily accepting her new role as a mother.

In an epilogue set after Bruce’s death, Selena is telling her grown daughter that she takes after her father. It’s a touching story of how Selena overcomes her uncertainty and comes to treasure her baby daughter. This sweet tale makes me eager to read Tom King’s upcoming Batman/Catwoman maxi-series.

Negatives

In my review for The Flash #750, I voiced some concern about the overuse of the decade variant covers. These covers are truly beautiful to behold, but it is pretty unfair to completionist fans to do this with a book that already has a hefty cover price. And if you want a full set of covers, that’s ten times the cost.

It was bad enough to do this once a month for several months in a row. But now, thanks to the recent upheavals in DC’s release schedule, the Catwoman, Joker, and Green Lantern anniversary specials are all coming out in a single month. I suppose I should be glad that at least DC isn’t bringing them all out on the same week. But please, DC, could you put a moratorium on these decade variants for a few months? My wallet needs time to recover from the beating it’s receiving this month.

#gallery-0-4 { margin: auto; } #gallery-0-4 .gallery-item { float: left; margin-top: 10px; text-align: center; width: 25%; } #gallery-0-4 img { border: 2px solid #cfcfcf; } #gallery-0-4 .gallery-caption { margin-left: 0; } /* see gallery_shortcode() in wp-includes/media.php */

1940s Cover

1950s Cover

1960s Cover

1970s Cover

1980s Cover

1990s Cover

2000s Cover

2010s Cover

Verdict

The Catwoman 80th Anniversary 100-Page Super Spectacular is a fine collection of Catwoman stories. This special revisits many eras’ interpretations of the character, bringing them back to life, proving that ever story does indeed matter.

Review: Catwoman 80th Anniversary 100-Page Super Spectacular Review: CATWOMAN 80TH ANNIVERSARY 100-PAGE SUPER SPECTACULAR Writers: Paul Dini, Ann Nocenti, Tom King…

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haveclotheswilltravel · 4 years

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The Margaret Dress in Sharp Sketch.

I own two Margaret Dresses from Karina Dresses. One is the Margaret Dress in Passport Print, and the other is the Margaret Dress in Sharp Sketch.

Now that I’ve had a chance to wear my Margaret dresses by Karina Dresses in both winter and summer, I’m going to do a thorough review of this style of dress in today’s post. I’ll be reviewing the fit, the quality and my overall opinion of this particular style of dress.

The Margaret Dress in Passport Print.

If you’ve been following my blog for the last couple of years, you may be getting to the point where you are sick of hearing about Karina Dresses. (Sorry – not sorry!) I’m a really big fan of this company and their dresses.

I also want to be completely honest – Karina Dresses does sponsor some of my Instagram posts. However, the blog posts that I do about them are 100% because I love this company and want to share them with you guys! (They aren’t paying me for these – although, I do make a small commission if you purchase anything via the links in this post.)

If you’re new to my blog, I want to give you a little background on Karina Dresses….

Karina Dresses is a small US-based dress company that specializes in making dresses that are comfortable and can easily go from day to night. They are also very size-inclusive and their dresses range in size from XS-4X. I also love that their dresses are all made in the US. The best part, though, is that their dresses do NOT wrinkle!

If you would like to read my full review of Karina Dresses in general, click here.

The Margaret Dress Review

The Margaret Dress comes in a variety of prints and also comes in both short and 3/4 length sleeves. It features a cross-over V neck bodice, a waistband that lies just below the bustline, an attached sash and a midi length skirt that falls to mid-calf. (This style of dress does NOT have pockets.)

The Fit

I am wearing the Margaret dress in a size S/M.

I had initially been a little concerned about how this dress fits through the bust area, as it’s lower cut than I normally wear. I do have to be a little careful with this dress, as it can slip a little. (It’s a little looser fitting through the bust than other Karina Dresses I own.) I have also paired it with a cami for when I want to be extra modest.

With it not being AS tight through the bust as some of my Karina Dresses, though, I don’t feel this dress comes across as making me look “too busty”… as some of the dresses do. The prints also do help soften the silhouette, so this dress doesn’t call too much attention to this area. (Again, I bring this up because I get questions and comments about that a lot.)

I also LOVE the length of this dress. Midi lengths are my jam! The rest of my Karina dresses are knee-length!

This dress also twirls really well. (This is also a bonus in my book!) Check it out in motion in the video below!

youtube

This is my FAVORITE fit out of all my Karina Dresses. I love how flattering and comfortable it is. I also love the length.

Check it out on a variety of different body shapes and heights, here.

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The Quality

I have had the dress pictured above (in Passport Print) since December 2019 and started wearing it immediately after it arrived in the mail. I’ve worn and washed it about… oh gosh, probably close to 20 times now, at least. It still looks brand new.

The dress below (in Sharp Sketch), I have only had it for a month now. I’ve worn and washed it a few times already, and it’s great. I’ll update this post if anything changes!

As is the case with all the dresses from Karina Dresses, the Margaret dress is made with a wrinkle-free micro-fiber that is incredibly breathable and comfortable. It also is absolutely wrinkle-free. Another bonus, these dresses do not collect cat hair or lint! I LOVE that.

Any Negatives About The Margaret Dress?

If I’m getting really picky the only thing I don’t love about this dress is that I’m resituating the attached sash quite a bit throughout the day. It likes to do what it wants – as do most attached belts! Really not a big deal but I want to share everything about the dress so you make the best purchase decision.

It also can get a little staticky when worn in the winter with tights or leggings – I’ve noticed it will stick to them a little. This is a question that’s also come up, and I wanted to answer it.

Overall Opinion of The Margaret Dress

I love how comfortable and flattering the Margaret dress is. I can easily pair it with tights and booties in the winter…or heels and flats in the summer. This dress would make a great “work dress” in my opinion.

I adore this dress as I do all of my Karina Dresses. They haven’t disappointed me yet!

Click here to shop the Margaret dress.

I like to work from home in the Margaret dress too!

Have you ever tried the Margaret Dress by Karina Dresses? Let me know in the comments!

Where to find it:

Dress: Karina Dresses Red Pumps: Bella Vita Booties: Old (Similar here) Sunglasses: Polette Tote: Tory Burch

*Disclosure: some of these links are affiliate links. Meaning, if you click a link and make a purchase, Have Clothes, Will Travel gets a very small commission at no extra cost to you. Thank you for supporting the brands that make this blog possible! I am also a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites.

Karina Margaret Dress Review – Worn in Summer & Winter I own two Margaret Dresses from Karina Dresses. One is the Margaret Dress in Passport Print…

#Karina Dresses #Made in the USA #Margaret Dress #wrinkle free #wrinkle resistant dress

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infinitylester · 5 years

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have you ever done a header tutorial? i've seen a few of yours around the phandom and they're really nice, if you haven't would you be willing to?

hey there, dear! i have not made a header tutorial but i’d be more than happy to for you! since all of my headers are vastly different, there is no real ‘specific’ way i make headers since i do so many different things for all of them!

in this tutorial, i’ll show you how to make this:

*warning* this will be very image heavy and probably very long winded, since i am a very long winded human! sorry if that’s not your cup of tea !!!

step 1:

open up your photoshop and go to file, new and put in these settings:

step 2:

excellent! you have your header canvas ready to go! i decided i wanted something real fuckin bright, so i decided to add a neon gradient. to add a gradient of your two chosen colours, make your brush and eraser colours the two shades you want to make a gradient from! if you’re confused, change these two boxes to whatever you’d like:

now go to your gradient tool and drag it across whichever way you like best to create your gradient!

step 3:

cool! we have our background shade! now we’re gonna add our little bottom bit of our header to make it seamlessly blend with our blog colour! you know what time talking about, the rip effect!

only……i’m not doing a rip effect for this header. if you ever want me to do a tut on that, just let me know! it’s real easy though!………literally, it’s just downloading a brush and using it hjesdxvhfdbj

i’m going to add a diagonal line across the bottom of my header. to do this, grab your polygonal lasso tool and draw where you want your bottom bit to be like shown:

now im going to colour that section in with white! you can colour it whatever colour the background of your blog is though! (also, remember to make a new layer for this bit, so that your bottom is on a whole new layer!)

to deselect your marching ants (the moving dotti bois), simply press command + d (or ctrl + d for windows!)

you should now have this:

step 4:

right!! now i like to add whoever i’m adding to the header. in this case, im adding a pic of dnp. place your pic wherever you’d like it to be on the header and cut it out however you like! after you’ve done this, your header should look like this:

i want to colour dnp and make them match the header a lot more, so i’ll turn their layer into a smart object and press edit contents. i colour them there and then press save, which automatically changes them on the header. you dont have to colour them but if you’re familiar with ps and would like to, go for it! i won’t detail this part though because it’s crazy long and honestly unnecessary to add to this tut!

step 5:

alrighty so!! here’s where my header’s at right now:

next, we’re gonna add a basic texture to the background of our header to give it a wee bit of depth! i added three and changed their opacity and filter layers to what i like best, so change yours to your own liking

okay so here’s my header currently! (also excuse how ugly everthing looks, tumblr eats quality for breakfast smh i swear it actually looks decent)

step 6:

okay, so now i’m gonna add a shadow behind dnp for more depth! basically i just duplicate the layer with dan and phil by pressing command + j (or ctrl + j for windows uwu) and selecting the entire layer with the quick selection tool, which selects dnp in their entirety. grab your brush tool and colour the selection black, like so:

drag that layer down and out a bit to the right and change the opacity to 24%. however, shadows are all dependent on your image, so do what looks best to you! here’s what my header looks like now:

step 7:

okay, now i’m gonna add a white outline of dnp!!

once again, duplicate your original dnp layer. now go to layer styles and press styles. there should be a style that looks like a thin black line, like so:

select that and go to stroke, changing the colour from black to white. i also changed the thickness to 2px but you can keep it at one or change it to however you like it! i placed this layer over my original dnp image and moved it to where i liked it. my header now looks like this:

step 8:

text time! write your url out in all caps using the font ‘DIN condensed’. place it wherever you would like on the header. i chose here:

step 9:

now!! duplicate that text layer and go to layer styles. remember our good friend ‘line style’? she’s about to become our best friend! press that style and chnage the stroke colour to white. move the text to the left and you should have this:

yay!! now we’re going to duplicate the line style text we just made. go to layer styles and change the stroke colour again. for this header, i changed it to pink but change it to whatever matches your header best! move that text even more to the left aaaaaaand this should be your result:

okay!! last line text style! duplicate the pink text and make the stroke colour black. move it over to the left. i thought the black was a bit too intense, so i chnaged to opacity of the text to 86%. this should be your final result:

last bit of editing for your text! go to your original url text, the one that’s at the front and bold. go to layer styles, inner shadow and drop shadow and add these settings in:

your text should look like this now:

aaaaaaaaand that’s it!! you’ve made your very own header!! well done, you should be proud of yourself!!

this header is kind of different to my other stuff, so if there’s a header you’ve seen me make that you’d like to know how to make, just let me know and i’ll see what i can do about making a tutorial on it!

i hope i wasn’t too long winded and i hope this is helpful to someone!

if you have any other things you’d like me to make a tutorial on or if you’d like an in depth tutorial on something specific, just let me know!

#hopefully this was helpful and not confusing as fuck!!#yeahps #completeresources #photoshopshit #itsphotoshop #header tutorial #my edit #my tutorials #photoshop #graphic

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the-gloomth · 5 years

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Recently my partner and I were out visiting my family and part of my showing him around their small town was exploring some of the abandoned infrastructure along the main waterway there. The town is very old and borders a major river, in the past there were plenty of mills and factories along the water which served as the main way of transporting goods/supplies. Nowadays these enormous stone mills and factories are long out of operation and many have been left to decay.

This was a huge three story factory building, full of shattered glass and peeling lead paint. I’ve decided not to share the location or name of the property because I really don’t want to be blamed if someone goes there and gets hurt (and it’s not really “legal” to explore spots like this, sorry mom!). Risking our well-being is one thing though, and I took a ton of photos on my phone to share because the space was really incredible and fascinating! I didn’t bring my either of real cameras with me so please bear with the semi-ok phone quality.

#gallery-0-11 { margin: auto; } #gallery-0-11 .gallery-item { float: left; margin-top: 10px; text-align: center; width: 33%; } #gallery-0-11 img { border: 2px solid #cfcfcf; } #gallery-0-11 .gallery-caption { margin-left: 0; } /* see gallery_shortcode() in wp-includes/media.php */

Extensive flooding and rust.

The halls were all filled with peeling decayed paint.

One hallway.

Graffiti and peeling paint.

The view out from the loading docks.

An elevator shaft full of rotting insulation and garbage.

Stairwell.

One floor was flooded and empty.

You could walk right out onto the roof here (we didn’t).

The first floor was gutted and left open, and probably the most safe of the the entire structure. Some of the rubble had been heaped up under plastic tarps as though workers had just given up and moved on. The higher floors were flooded in places and had been vandalized, the very top floor was especially eerie and seemed more unsafe so we didn’t really explore it as thoroughly as the others.

I loved this rotting office area, the layers of paint peeking out through the decay and the paneled old fashioned windows. We also found a very old solid metal safe tucked in a weird corner cupboard on a lower floor, it was pitch black in that space so we had to use our phones to try and illuminate it. Inside of the safe was a pile of burnt fabric and papers, deliriously.

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This is definitely not me, police. 😛

A bird’s nest I found (and my sneakers)

One weird little cupboard was pitch black and had a gorgeous old safe inside. We opened the safe and it was full of burnt things…weird.

Ground level, looks like it’s been professionally stripped.

Attic area with a ladder leading up to a ledge.

The very top floor (and most precarious).

Definitely not my partner looking out at the town below, police.

More flooded areas.

It’s amazing to see these sorts of places before they’re torn down and replaced with condos or parking garages. These old buildings are part of the history of Canada, of a time when the waterways played a much more important role in the economy of smaller communities. As we’ve progressed and changed the way we move goods around the nation these businesses have moved on or shuttered entirely, and some have left behind the bones of their previous lives.

-Taeden

Abandoned Factory Photos Recently my partner and I were out visiting my family and part of my showing him around their small town was exploring some of the abandoned infrastructure along the main waterway there.

#abandoned factory #building #fascinating #fictional #urban exploring

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xdreamingtheday · 7 years

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Dear dreamers,

I am again, lying on the bed while writing this. And yes I had a really nice bath, just like yesterday. BUT today there was something different! I used a little bath bomb, and omg that smells so good. I especially really enjoyed this bath because I am so so so tired from hiking… I already feel my muscles starting to hurt. So well, lemme tell you about my day.

Me and my mom got up around 9 am, and started to get ready for the day. After that we got breakfast in the restaurant of the hotel and omg it was amazing. I had a croissant with jam, a chocolate croissant and some bread with butter and salmon. With that I had some really nice tea. Here is a picture of my plate:

After breakfast, we saw a little stray cat looking for food, so me and my mom got him/her a little bit of salmon. I wanted to pet him/her, but the cat just wouldn’t let me 😦

We then went to the tourist information centre in the town, and got a little information book about the towns surrounding Houffalize. We decided, that we would go to Bastogne, just like we planned to. So we got our stuff, got in the car and drove to Bastogne. And honestly, I don’t know what to think of it.. There is only one main shopping street, which is on the sides of a very busy road, which is really annoying. There weren’t a lot of nice stores, although we found one little store that was really cool. It looked like just a little store, but there were three floors!! The store is called Maison Pékus and it’s perfect if you want to buy some wedding presents, or just presents or just decoration for your house. You can also buy chocolate there!;D Here are some pictures from the things in the store. (So sorry about the bad quality pictures omg)

This is a mug that I bought there

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So after the shopping, we decided we really wanted to take a walk in a forest, like go do a hiking trail or something. Well jesus christ it was so f*cking difficult to find a hiking trail, or even the way to one. When we finally found an interesting one, but didn’t know the exact way to get there, we thought it would be nice to go lunch somewhere near it. We wanted to hike in Amberloup, so I googled for places to eat near Amberloup. We ended up finding some restaurant in Tenneville. So we went there, and found out that they only served big dishes like steak and all that. AT F*CKING 14:00 YOU WANT TO SERVE DINNER?! So we went somewhere else, because we kind of just wanted some fries and snacks. The guy from the restaurant told us there was a place nearby – 300m – further, that would serve fries and snacks. So we went there. It was closed. It was open from 11:30 till 14:00 and would open again around 17:00. I do not get it. I seriously don’t. Why on earth would you close during lunchtime? That’s just weird. Eventually we did find a place that was open, so we ate there. While we were eating, we were online looking for the stupid hiking trail. We found an address, but when we typed it in in Google Maps, it said that it wasn’t a valid address. So we decided to go to another tourism information point, this time in Sainte-Ode, which was like a 10min drive from where we were at that moment. So we drove there, and a very kind lady, -who smelled funny – helped us by finding us a map. She also told me to download this app called Sity Tour -No,I did not spell it wrong-. That’s an app with a lot of biking&hiking trails on there. You can turn on your GPS to find the nearest trails, but you can also find trails searching by the area name. So eventually, we founded the trail we wanted to do. So the woman told us to drive to the Airport of Saint Hubert, park the car there and walk to the beginning of the trail. But when we arrived at the airport, we found out that we had to cross a really dangerous road to get to the trail. So we parked the car at the beginning of the trail and started walking. Before I tell you how that went, here is a picture of the trail.

So the trail is 9,8km long, has a high distance of 152m up and down, the difficulty was medium and it would take about 2 and a half hours to walk the whole thing. We started good, but the navigation wasn’t working yet, so we walked the wrong way very quickly. After a 1km or something we found out that we were not walking the right way because the navigation started working and showed us. So after walking about a 1km through the middle of the forest we got back on the route again. When we arrived at the point where the “circle” would start, we found out that it was already 17:00 and that the sun would start to disappear around 18:30. So we started walking faster and faster, to make sure we would be back at the car before dark. On our way we saw a wild boar, and omg I almost got a heart attack. I mean we were standing very still, and were looking at him and he was looking at us and I was like omfg and I he looked like he was thinking omfg too. After a second or 2 he took a sip from a puddle before him, and walked off into the woods again. I swear I was so scared when I first saw him because he kind of looked like a wolf. After that nothing really happened. We got back to the car just in time, and now our muscles hurt a lot and we are very tired. When we got back in the hotelroom, I took a bath and my mom got us some food. And now she’s watching a serie on Netflix while I’m writing this. After this I’m just going to bed, because tomorrow we have to get up early to get out of the hotel in time.

Tomorrow we are going back home, but we are taking a stop at Maastricht to do some shopping there. I don’t think I’ll post anything then, but if I buy lots of nice things I’ll do a shopblog;D If not then you’ll definitely get a new post on Tuesday!

Yours faithfully,

Anne

Keep dreaming and never give up!<3

Day two of the little get away! Dear dreamers, I am again, lying on the bed while writing this. And yes I had a really nice bath, just like yesterday.

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ericdesmarais · 7 years

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Hello Imaginary Friends, Coffee Drinkers, Crochet lovers, and all around awesome fans,

At Comiccon I told a lot of you that we were going to be a Geek Market in the fall. I lied, or better, I was a little arrogant. You see, we weren’t accepted at the time, but I felt that the strength, and uniqueness of our product was enough to guarantee us a spot.

Like I said, it was arrogant and I must apologize because JenEric Designs and Gourmet Coffee will not be attending. This Fall’s event is a juried event. They, from what I’ve been told, judged quality of product, uniqueness of product, and visual appeal of tables/booths.

We were told that we scored well in the first two, but for vendors in our category we scored poorly on visual appeal. We’re on the wait list but I’m not expecting to be going.

My first reaction was anger (rejection hurts) and then I took a long hard look at our booth and I realized that I’ve been neglecting evolving the outside look. I’ve concentrated really hard on storage in the booth to make sales go faster and on coffee products.

My second reaction was confusion. I had no idea what to do to improve. So I contacted Geek Market and asked to know the criteria, our scores, and what category we are considered. (Being both coffee and crochet can put us into multiple categories.) We received a reply on May 19th saying that they’d get back to us in a couple of days.

It’s humbling to be told that your table isn’t visually appealing, but we’ve taken steps to try and make it better. We’ve ordered custom printed table cloths, and I’m working on a way of adding levels to our display.

I hope that we’ll be able to get back into Geek Market in the future. Sales are good and I know there are certain fans that we only get to see at that event.

Once again, I’m sorry,

Éric

I’m Sorry I Lied (And Rejection Sucks) Hello Imaginary Friends, Coffee Drinkers, Crochet lovers, and all around awesome fans, At Comiccon I told a lot of you that we were going to be a Geek Market in the fall.

#Booth #Comiccon #events #Geek Market #products #rejection #sorry #Visual Appeal

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timows-turf · 4 years

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Photo by Polina Zimmerman on Pexels.com

[AUTHOR’S WARNING: This post can provoke insult to certain fans of the following programs. Read at your own risk.]

THE PANDEMIC-INDUCED “eternal” lockdown makes us stir-crazy and misses the things we enjoy.

Even if you are Team Bahay (home person) pre-COVID, you would miss watching your favorite TV shows as its production (save the news) were suspended until further notice (but gradually regaining).

Hence, the spiraling effects that programs offered at the moment are significantly different than normally scheduled with some of the scheduled shows delayed by a few months to a few years or scrapped altogether.

Speaking of lockdown, I spent few months titillate and wrestle at the same time a long topic before the eternal lockdown happened: reality television. Personally speaking, I’m not into that genre as for the past decade, they put game shows to irrelevance since typical Filipino viewers are prone to emotions than to the intellect. (Well, that “dead” genre is reviving, thanks to TV5’s radical programming strategy this month in the post-ABS era of Philippine television.)

Since the start of the year, I tinkered upon the Google Docs spreadsheet of different reality TV franchises that happened into our shores and it manifested upon me that isolation-based reality shows (e.g. Survivor and Big Brother) will last longer than others internationally.

Paano mo nasabi? (How would you say that?)

The Data-Driven Plan

Scope, Limitation and Treatment of Data

The five (5) international reality TV shows that currently airs or formerly aired on our shores.

I decided to delve into five (5) international reality TV program franchises that currently airs or had a Philippine version:

The Amazing Race (adventure, since 2001, PH version began in 2012 but ended in 2014),

Big Brother (isolation, since 1999, PH version began in 2005),

Idol (talent, since 2001, PH version began in 2006),

Survivor (isolation, since 1997, PH version began in 2009 but ended in 2012), and

The Voice (talent, since 2010, PH version began in 2013).

From them, we will get how many geographical franchises (y-axis) were broadcast in every calendar year of each franchise’s existence until 2019 (x-axis). It doesn’t matter if there are two seasons of the show in one calendar year and/or it has a spin-off; they are counted as one.

For the spreadsheet-loving nerds, click here for the Google Sheets of all five program franchises. (Sorry, it’s still in progress because I’m too busy.)

Finding the fitting model and when to stop

Since we will determine when these program franchises peak and flatten, the regression model to be used will be the bell curve model. It’s just like the epidemic curve for the goal of flattening from overloading the maximum healthcare capacity.

The specific bell curve formula will come from the first derivative of the basic sigmoid function:

When to Istahp? (The Cut-off Point)

Determining the effective end of an international program franchise is very subjective but an important matter. The best answer I could give logically is when the curve flattens as the predicted y (the number of geographical franchises ran in a particular calendar year) reaches 1.

The Results

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Big Brother

Idol

Survivor

The Amazing Race

The Voice

The solid blue vertical line is the current year while the dashed blue horizontal line is the cut-off point.

Jotting down the data using Desmos graphing calculator, all five program franchises are past the calculated peak and thus, on the downward trend.

However, among the five, Survivor and Big Brother would last longer until the late 2030s; the two talent competitions (The Voice and Idol) will live up until within the turn of the next decade but The Amazing Race will be effective until two years.

Why?

In 2001, TAR and Idol began their journey in the United States and in the United Kingdom, respectively. The big, salient difference is TAR was too slow to go international; Idol boosted and reach its peak two years later.

The adventure show premiered on CBS on September 5, 2001 (six days before 9/11 struck) and in several instances, some of the featured places throughout its nearly two-decade run became the focal point of disasters and tragedies after that particular episode premieres (I read that from TV Tropes wherein the show is a “doom magnet”).

Their first international franchise did not take off until 2006 on AXN Asia; it didn’t reach its peak until 2012 with nine international iterations (which is the lowest of all-time among the five).

With this ongoing pandemic, this would add more insult to injury since the global aviation industry is struggling (which is a necessary component) to adapt to the new normal procedures. Psychologically speaking, potential contestants are scared to fly out.

Afterthought

The quantity of international franchises doesn’t always mean it’s of good quality. Other than TV ratings, there are factors that make or break the fate of a program franchise like financial sustainability (within the franchise holding network’s accounting and budgeting departments), audience criticisms (ranging from the well-reasoned and seasoned TV critics to one-sided pressure groups) and other external factors (no need to explain which one).

To the die-hard fan of The Amazing Race and admitted yourself to be delusional having the third season to happen here. Well, you are definitely right.

However, this QuOP doesn’t end here yet as there will be a follow-up on September 6 about the future of franchised programs now that the dominant, acquiring network is forced to be called — by those who wished for it — as a “has-been.”

Like Timow’s Turf on Facebook

Timow’s QuOP No. 13: Wrestling with Franchised Reality Shows [AUTHOR'S WARNING: This post can provoke insult to certain fans of the following programs. Read at your own risk.]

#AXN Asia #Big Brother #calculus #CBS #derivatives #Idol #mathematics #program franchises #sigmoid function #Survivor #The Amazing Race #The Voice

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liposuctionbeforeandafter · 5 years

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5 a side fitness tips

5 a side fitness tips; With Euro 2016 only days away, we’ve brought Esquire wellness master Harry Jameson off the seat to demonstrate to you the best activities and tips to get you fit as a fiddle for 5-a-side, from plyometrics to appropriate sustenance, to make you look less fat Ronaldo and more Cristiano for when those Monday nights under the floodlights move around.

1 | The Warm-Up

For a round of such huge numbers of directional changes and quick, exceptional developments, Harry emphasizes the significance of an exhaustive warm-up (at any rate 15 minutes. Sorry). Attempt to join dynamic developments like thrusts and brisk runs over static extending on cool muscles. You need to reproduce the developments you’ll be performing in game, except if you need to pull a hammy like Michael Owen in the initial five minutes.

2 | The Speed Exercise

As opposed to long, wandering runs, football – particularly 5-a-side – is around 1-10 meter runs again and again and over once more. Harry’s guidance for duplicating this in the rec center is to set your treadmill to a 3% slant on greatest speed (or as quick as you can go) and after that run for 10 seconds, before resting for 20 seconds. Rehash this multiple times. Furthermore, make an effort not to hurl. 5 a side fitness tips.

3 | The Upper Body And Core Exercise

It’s frequently said that footballer’s have the most lucky physical make-ups out of all sportsmen (perhaps not Gazza, yet that is another story), the explanation behind this is they have the ideal mix of center and chest area quality, which gives them that lean, adjusted look.

4 | The Leg Exercises

Rather than crouching, which just spotlights on the facade of your legs, Harry recommends the multi-directional rush, an activity that reinforces your glutes and quads, just as the joints in your knees and lower legs.

5 | The All Body Exercise

High Intensity Interval Training is quite stylish at the present time, just as having the additional advantage of being perfect preparing for football.

5 a side fitness tips

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5 a side fitness tips

#fitness tips and tricks #fitness tips for beginners #fitness tips for women

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ivortog · 5 years

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Want to really get to grips with photography? This 40-week complete course is for you!

For the third year I am running my popular 40-week photography course.

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What’s it all about?

Helping you become a better photographer and aimed at discovering direction for your art, this practical, skills-based Complete Photography Course is designed especially for the photography enthusiast. Mostly held outside on locations in Northumberland, the lessons are hands-on; you get to take lots of photos.

Although there is a syllabus (see below), it is flexible to suit the participants. Non-compulsory assignments follow on from the lessons. I usually give one assignment a month if you want one, but it can be more.

Anyone who comes on my courses gets free ongoing support through a private Facebook group I run and where I offer free and heavily discounted extra photoshoots and workshops.

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When and where is it?

The course starts on Friday 6th September 2019 at 10:00 am. If this doesn’t suit you, then contact me with your availability as I am considering running a second course alongside it.

The complete course comprises 40 lessons of at least 1½ hours duration; they sometimes overrun because we are having fun. Based in Amble, I hold lessons at different venues in and around North and East of Northumberland. Some of the sessions are in the evenings and at dawn at mutually convenient times.

How much does it cost?

The cost is £860, which works out at £21.50/lesson, which is great value. If you miss a lesson for any reason, I run catch-up sessions for you.

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What’s different about the Complete Photography Course?

This is very different from a vocational qualification course. It is built for the enthusiasts, and not for those seeking employment in the photographic industry. Employment content is deliberately excluded. Unlike the NVQ 3, you won’t spend 90-hours studying health and safety in the workplace, researching potential employers or writing a CV. This course is about photography and creating better images.

I’ve only taken snaps before and my friend has a good eye great, is this course for us?

Yes! Assuming no previous knowledge, the Complete Photography Course teaches basic to advanced techniques. Previous participants had all levels of knowledge when they started out. With areas not found in the NVQ course, such as landscape, macro, wildlife, abstract and street photography, plus a lot more besides, you’ll realise your own photographic style and not be pushed towards taking photos looking like everyone else’s. You’ll discover the philosophy of photography and learn about its history. You’ll investigate compositional techniques – creating balance and tension, line and form – while learning about lighting and colour, monochrome and tones. The syllabus is flexible and previous courses have concentrated on some aspects of photography and excluded others on request of the participants.

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The training is hands-on with photography discussions too. Although encouraging you to practise skills, complete portfolios of themed work, and research other photographers, there is no pressure. You can put in as much work away from the course as you have time for. Some of my previous participants just came along to learn something new, others have started earning money from their photography.

How does this compare to other courses?

Please do contact me for a copy of the syllabus so you can compare it to those of other courses that are on offer. I’m sure you’ll find my Complete Photography Course content is unparalleled. Besides following the syllabus, you will work alongside others, helping each other to progress in a co-operative environment. You’ll get tutor support through emails, phone and Facebook. There will be optional assignments and challenges to help you consolidate your skills and additional led photoshoots to join. You will also have access to my library of photography books and articles if you ask for further reading. My courses are friendly and fun. You’ll complete it with the knowledge and skills to take photographs of the subjects you love in your own unique style.

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Questions and Answers

What if I want to do this course, but cannot attend of Fridays?

Contact me! I am considering running this at other times if there is sufficient demand.

Where is the course based?

Mostly in and around Amble. It may be delivered in other locations if there is a demand.

How many people will be on the course?

Between three and eight people. I need a minimum of three participants to run each course. I won’t run the course with more than eight participants.

How much is the course?

£860 for 40 x 1½-hour (minimum) lessons. This includes membership of my exclusive Facebook Group where I offer ongoing support and discounted and free events.

Can I get a student loan to pay for this course?

Unfortunately not. But the course is such good value that even if you pay by credit card and repay over two years, at the current interest rates (18.5%) you will still be paying hundreds of pounds less than an NVQ 3 Certificate, which cost £1260 from Northumberland County Council last year.

Can I pay you in instalments?

Sorry, no. Many of the overheads have to paid for up front. I realise that it’s not a small amount, so I do take credit card. You can also pay by bank transfer, PayPal, cheque or cash.

What sort of camera will I need?

Ideally you will have a camera with interchangeable lenses: a DSLR or Mirrorless Compact System Camera (CSC). You will need at least an advanced compact or bridge camera. If you are intending to buy a camera, if you book on this, or any of my other courses, I will sit with you over a coffee for an hour or so to talk about finding a system to suit you, there is no extra charge for that. I also have a blog post about buying a new camera here: https://ivorphotography.co.uk/new-camera/

What happens if you cannot deliver the lessons.

An amount equal to the payments made are held untouched in a bank account. If something happened to me so I could no longer deliver the lessons, a refund equal to the cost of the remaining lessons would be made. Everyone gets a cold now and again, and if I fall ill then the lesson will be postponed, or I will engage another specialist photographer to run the lesson.

Can I buy into just a few parts?

Maybe, subject to availability. But, the entire course is better value and comes with email and phone support, catch-up sessions, group membership, access to the library and the led shoots. I do run shorter courses and workshops too.

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I have done previous training with you, will this be suitable for me?

Yes. This course is suitable for all levels of learner. My previous clients get a £40 discount.

Is this an accredited qualification?

No, and deliberately so. This keeps costs down, allows for flexibility of course content to suit participants. It also allows me to exclude the employment based content of the NVQs, which are probably not of interest to most photo enthusiasts. My courses are about learning photography and don’t pretend to be about qualifications.

If you are looking to progress to a degree course for future employment in the photographic industry then and NVQ might be the route for you to take. Saying that, one of my clients has just progressed to study photography at a top university. If you decide to study elsewhere, please be careful, there are a lot of courses claiming to be diplomas that are not! They may be the lesser “certificate” qualification or not a recognised qualification at all, though they claim to be. If you are looking for an NVQ course, I am happy to help you choose the correct one from a reputable provider. Send me a message and I’ll try to help you.

How do I know if the training is good quality?

Please check my feedback on Google: and on Facebook

If you want to free from established constraints in your art, if you want to be challenged or just want to work alongside other photographers, if you want to build on previous academic or vocational training, if you want to learn photography to a high standard, then yes, this may well be the course for you.

The New Complete Photography Course Syllabus

If you want to come along, then please contact me for a copy of the full syllabus.

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40-week Complete Photography Course Want to really get to grips with photography? This 40-week complete course is for you! For the third year I am running my popular 40-week photography course.

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kyreniacommentator · 5 years

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Sneaky Preview …..

Here is just a very small example of some of the many lovely items of art already donated to KAR. They will be for sale during the Art Exhibition and Sale we are holding at The Fez Catalkoy on Thursday August 1st.

Invitations are available at 50TL (to include a glass of Prosecco Punch and Canapes on arrival) from The Fez, The KAR Office in Karakum and at the KAR bookstall at Lambousa Market (Saturday mornings).

Photographic Competition

Subject/Theme: Title: LIFE ON NORTH CYPRUS STREETS Subjects: Dogs/puppies, Cats/kittens

Categories: Ages up to 12 years, 12 – 18 years, Over 18 years old. Only two entries per person.

Entry: Enter online by emailing your entries to KAR at [email protected], include details:- 1. Name 2. Date of Birth if over 18 years. 3. Where photograph was taken. 4. email address Photos must be in JPEG format and only up to a maximum size of 10mb. Please keep copies of your original files if they are bigger than this, as we may need them later on if you are successful.

Prizes: First prize in each category Runner up prize in each category Winner in each category photograph to be used on KAR calendar 2020

Date: Last date for entries 15th September

Everyone these days has a camera to hand on their phones. It is easy to take a picture that can mean so many words. We would like you to take that special photo of dogs/puppies or cats/kittens on the streets of North Cyprus. You will not only be judged on the quality of the photograph but also what the subject depicts.

As well as winning a lovely prize the winning photograph in each category will be used as part of the 2020 Calendar.

The theme for the competition is ‘Life on North Cyprus Streets’, it is up to you how you interpret it. As long as your photographs capture the essence of ‘Life on North Cyprus Streets’ then you are in with a chance.

This competition is not a fundraising event it is to raise awareness of the life of the dogs and cats that live in love and harmony side by side with the local community on the streets of the TRNC.

There are many dogs and cats to photograph so get your phones out now.

We certainly Played Our cards Right

Last night (16th July), helped by some fantastic contestants 1,140TL was raised at The Grease Monkey in Catalkoy. Thank you to everyone for helping us raise the money – we hope that you all enjoyed the night. Sorry that you couldn’t all win.

Thank you to The Grease Monkey for hosting the event, for the lovely food and the very kind donation – see you again soon!

This is Eser and Eileen.

They have been walking, grooming and helping socialising dogs. They came every day for 4 days.

They came from Washington D.C.and flew from Washington to Copenhagen then to Zurich on to Athens and then to Larnaca and then here.

The very next day after they arrived they came to the Centre and donated 6 large bags dog biscuits, treats and toys. Thanks guys!! That’s vacation dedication. KAR Heroes!!

The KAR Rescue Centre is still in need of ‘softies’

Any old bedding, towels, bath mats, any items that can be used for the puppy beds.

Please, if you are on the west side of the island, you can drop off your items at Veni Vici on the Lapta Strip.

All items donated as softies go straight to the centre. (East side donations to the office in Karakum)… thank you!!!!

Thank you to The Lodge Catalkoy card bingo players

For their ongoing support.

Every month they donate some of the proceeds of the Card Bingo to KAR. It is appreciated.

Looking back at KAR in the Press

To read all about it in CyprusScene.com, online weekly enewspaper and the favourite read of many in Northern Cyprus. [sdm_download id=”645701″ fancy=”0″ new_window=”1″ color=”green”]

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KAR Weekly News Roundup for 19th July 2019 Sneaky Preview ..... Here is just a very small example of some of the many lovely items of art already donated to KAR.

#Animal care #Animal re-homing #Fund raising #KAR (Kyrenia Animal Rescue)

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notatreeblog · 5 years

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Gramma in a Box is a monthly subscription box for children that sends themed assortments that include everything you need to create 15-20 candy and cookie crafts. Subscriptions are $20 and if you sign up for an auto-renewing box your first package will be just $10! NAT received this package at no cost for review purposes.

Subscription Box Unboxing

youtube

Subscription Box Review

Our first glimpse inside our Gramma in a Box for May.

Everything that we received in our May, “Butterflies and Blossoms” themed box! Oh so colorful!

So what is all this stuff?

Our box insert.

This tells us about this month’s theme and lists each item that was included in this box.

We also receive instructions for each of the crafts that we’ll be creating.

Each package from Gramma in a Box includes 8 cookies. The first package has two large butterflies and two small butterflies.

Our second package of cookies includes two large flowers and two small flowers.

These mini pretzels will be used in our Pretzel Butterflies craft.

Our pretty lilac colored melting chocolate will be used in both our pretzel butterflies craft and our butterfly bark.

These rice krispies will be used in our butterfly bark craft.

These small strips of licorice will be used in our Pretzel Butterfly craft.

This fun, multi-colored sprinkle mix will be used in our Butterfly Bark. How pretty is this!

These multi-colored pereils will be used to decorate our cookies and for our Pretzel Butterflies.

These blue sprinkles will be used to decorate our cookies.

As will these purple crystal sprinkles.

The final item in our Gramma in a Box for May are our three tubes of frosting that will be used to decorate our cookies. These colors this month are fun!

Okay so now what?

Now we get to making!

First up we make our Pretzel Butterflies. We melt our chocolate and get our sprinkles, pretzels and licorice ready.

Then we dip each pretzel in the chocolate and connect 2 together. Then we add a piece of licorice.

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Finally, we add our sprinkles! Lots of fun!

Next up we make our Butterfly Bark.

We add the rice cereal to the leftover chocolate and lay on our parchment paper and form into a square.

To complete this craft all we have to do is top with our rainbow sprinkles. Sorry this picture is so blurry.

Finally, we gather all the items we’ll need to create our cookies.

We always let the kids do whatever they’d like when they decorate the cookies. Here were some of their creations!

So in summary

Presentation: Everything arrived perfectly to us in our Gramma in a Box for May

Quality: We feel like the recipes and crafts are great quality

Curation: We love these assortments. The theme for each month is always new and different and the crafts are always quick and simple. The perfect craft for little ones with lots of energy and short attention spans. Our kids old and young really love getting this box and enjoy creating and of course eating all of their creations!

Subscribe to Gramma in a Box

Gramma in a Box Subscription Box Review + Unboxing | May 2019 Gramma in a Box is a monthly subscription box for children that sends themed assortments that include everything you need to create 15-20 candy and cookie crafts.

#gramma in a box review #subscription box blog #subscription box for kids #subscription box review #subscription box unboxing

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nonstopstrategy · 5 years

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Do you fancy chocolate bread? I am talking about a good quality bitter dark chocolate bread. If so, this is the way to go on Easter – Very Chocolate Hot Cross Buns with Cranberries.

As I have mentioned many times, I am not such a big chocolate lover. However, my family does the job for me. Therefore, I regularly have to learn how to master the chocolate treats. Never ending learning. Practice is the key. The more I make and bake, the more confident I feel. No other way, I am sorry. These chocolaty beauties are made of a very good quality cocoa powder, filled with some dark chocolate chunks, dried cranberries and lime zest. Let me tell you, it is really so crunchy on the top and soft on the inside. Heavenly!

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Chocolate Hot Cross Buns are suitable for toddlers from the age of 2. Offer as an afternoon snack with a cup of milk. So yummy!

Total Time: 2 hours + 1.5 hour for rising the Dough

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Shopping List

The Dough: 40g of fresh yeast 1 cup of lukewarm milk (around 300ml) 120g of caster superfine sugar 650g of plain flour, sifted A pinch of sea salt, sifted 50g of cocoa powder, sifted 1 teaspoon of ground cinnamon, sifted 1 teaspoon of ground gingerbread spice, sifted 1 teaspoon of lime zest 1 whole egg 80g of butter, soft in cubes 80g of dark chocolate (at least 60%), in chunks 1 handful of dried cranberries, hardly chopped 2-3 knobs of lard

The Cross Topping: 2 tablespoons of caster sugar 50g of plain flour, sifted 70ml of cold water 2 tablespoons of honey

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Instructions

The Chocolate Dough

First, activate the yeast. In a large coffee mug pour the lukewarm milk and sprinkle with the yeast. Add 1 teaspoon of caster sugar and mix. Let it rise in a warm place for about 15 minutes.

Meanwhile, in a large and wide mixing bowl place all the dry ingredients: sugar, flour, sea salt, cocoa powder, cinnamon, gingerbread spice, lime zest and stir well.

Next, make a well in the middle and pour in the yeast with ½ of the milk from the cup. Add the egg and start kneading until you get a non sticking elastic Dough. Gradually add butter and rest of the milk, if needed.

Once you are finished, grease the bowl with a knob of lard (or butter) and place The Dough inside of it. Cover with a clean cloth and let it rise in a warm place at least for 1 hour.

Presentation

Once The Chocolate Dough has risen enough, preheat the oven to 180 degrees and start baking them into Chocolate Hot Cross Buns with Cranberries.

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Mold The Dough onto your working board and sprinkle with some more plain flour. Roll it out into a round shape and place all the chocolate chunks and cranberries in the middle.

Then, cover with the edges of The Dough and knead into a roll. Roll it out into a thin snake and cut out the buns. I made them approximately 3x3cm large. Take each bun and grease a bit with some lard and gently place the buns into a well greased baking tray. Continue until all has been processed.

Let it sit in a warm place for 15 more minutes.

The Cross Topping

Meanwhile, in a small mixing bowl place the sugar, flour and mix. Start pouring the water and gradually stir with a balloon whisk until you get a smooth doughy texture. Nor too thick, nor too liquid, makes around 50ml of water in total. Place the Topping into a decorating bag and cut out a 0.5 cm hole.

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Next, draw the crosses on each bun and immediately place in the oven. Bake for about 30 minutes, until they are nicely crunchy and baked through.

#gallery-0-19 { margin: auto; } #gallery-0-19 .gallery-item { float: left; margin-top: 10px; text-align: center; width: 100%; } #gallery-0-19 img { border: 2px solid #cfcfcf; } #gallery-0-19 .gallery-caption { margin-left: 0; } /* see gallery_shortcode() in wp-includes/media.php */

The Serving

Afterwards, in a small coffee mug pour 20ml of water with 2 tablespoons of honey. Microwave just to warm it up and brush all the Chocolate Hot Cross Buns with Cranberries generously on top. Beautiful!

#gallery-0-20 { margin: auto; } #gallery-0-20 .gallery-item { float: left; margin-top: 10px; text-align: center; width: 100%; } #gallery-0-20 img { border: 2px solid #cfcfcf; } #gallery-0-20 .gallery-caption { margin-left: 0; } /* see gallery_shortcode() in wp-includes/media.php */

Serve just like that, with a layer of butter, peanut butter or with my favourite lemon and mango curd. It gives just a lovely taste to the Chocolate Hot Cross Buns with Cranberries and it looks beautiful, too. For more hot cross bun inspiration, click here. Enjoy!

Makes 2 medium baking tray of buns.

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Very Chocolate Hot Cross Buns with Cranberries Do you fancy chocolate bread? I am talking about a good quality bitter dark chocolate bread. If so, this is the way to go on…

#baby #bread #breakfast #chocolate #cranberries #Easter #hot cross buns #sweets

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geeksperhour · 5 years

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20 Highly Converting A/B Test Ideas That No Marketer Should Miss

Guessing can be expensive. One wrong guess about the placement of your CTA might cost you thousands of dollars. A/B testing allows you to eliminate the guesswork .

A/B testing is used to compare the performance of two variations of a webpage. These two variations, A and B, are shown at random to similar visitors at the same time. The variation with the most conversions is then chosen to replace the original.

Testing is especially important when deciding on a website layout and element placement. A/B testing provides you with a way to test the performance of each variation to be sure that every change you make to your website positively impacts your conversion rates.

What should you A/B test?

Conducting a test between two variations without having a strategic testing plan is like aiming for a bulls-eye while blindfolded. Figure out which of your website’s pages have the largest impact on your conversion rate. A good way to find out the poorly performing page is to zone in on the one which gets high traffic, but still has a high bounce rate. Make this page the ground-zero of your A/B tests.

The primary objective of A/B testing is to improve user experience, and from it increasing the chance of converting visitors to leads. By asking focused questions about changes to your website, you can collect data about the impact of those changes.

Here’s a list of 20 A/B testing ideas to get you started:

CALL-TO-ACTION

Color: Always remember the rule of thumb while deciding the CTA color—make it stand out compared to the other elements on the page. While there is no way to proclaim that one particular CTA color will make your conversions go through the roof, one thing is certain: Buttons that convert the best are the ones that contrast most strongly with the other colors on the site . So, make sure to make the CTA pop!Point to note: While making CTA color variants to A/B test, the goal is to have your CTA jump out at your visitors without clashing with your site’s overall design. This way, you might find the right aesthetically pleasing CTA color that rakes in conversions.

Text: Start free trial? Get started? Sign up now? Whatever text you add to your CTA, make sure it gives acts as clear and contextual guide to your visitors. This increases the chances of the visitor actively engaging with it. If you’re reworking call-to-action content, run an A/B test to determine which one (original vs variants) gets the most clicks.

Size: Small, medium, or large? Remember, elements that stand out get more attention. Once gain, do not try to break from the website design and layout. It might cause your conversions to take a hit.

Position: In some cases, placing the CTA at the start of the page is a good way to catch visitor attention. However, in the other cases, placing it after a compelling piece of content can work wonders. Michael Aagaard, an international keynote speaker & conversion optimizer, found that placing the CTA below the average fold increased their conversions by 304%.

Shape: This is a minor detail that we tend to overlook. But why speculate when you can be sure? Several designers —favor rounded CTA button corners over square ones. It sounds odd, but it draws attention inside and is subconsciously more appealing. Don’t believe it? Test it out.

Single or multiple CTAs: It’s often a good practice to strategically place the same CTA in different sections of your webpage so that it’s always within the visitor’s reach. The key here is not to overdo it: If you do, your website will look like it’s trying too hard, or worse, that it has malware.

Instead of multiple primary CTAs, try sticking with one-two primary CTAs and make the rest secondary. It’s better to be safe than sorry. A/B test how many CTAs it takes to reach your conversion peak.

Hyperlinks vs. buttons: The jury is still out on Learn More as a button. It is best to choose based on context. If your webpage has a secondary call-to-action, give it a muted tone compared to the primary—in other words, make it a link.

CONTENT

Placement and structure: Often, subtle differences in the layout of the of a web page can contribute to a decent lift in the leads generate. For example, the strategic placement of a section of trust icons (enterprise customers, testimonies, ratings) can significantly increase the page’s conversions.

Tom Demers, co-founder and managing partner at Measured SEM search engine marketing consulting ran a similar test on their website with two variants against the original and found the second variants won by 367%.

Accessibility: Depending on what sort of content you’re providing, it might be helpful to either keep it gated, or open—that is providing access to the content once the visitor fills out a form, or allowing them to download it directly. Test both—gated and non-gated content to find out which one generates the most high quality leads.

Pricing: Subtle pricing or direct pricing? Visitors generally believe anything ending in $.99 as a discount. Professor Robert Schindler, a marketing professor at Rutgers Business School conducted an experiment testing this very case. He found that items whose prices ended with .99 far outsold those ending with .00. However, in the SaaS, software, and mobile industries, direct pricing(ending in “0” or “5”) is used more often. One reason for this might be because these industries want their service to be perceived as high quality.

Tone: Based on your organization’s branding and product placement, you might want to experiment with the way you talk to your visitors through your website. Casual or authoritative, technical or non-technical, humor and satire, or straightforward delivery? Each style has its pro-and-con, finding the right fit for your audience is key.

TYPOGRAPHY

Font size: For header content, test different weights, or font size increases and decreases of 2px.

Styling: Experiment with complementary fonts, text formatting like strikethroughs, symbol usage, and whether handwriting fonts or monospace fonts best attract visitor attention.

Sans-serif vs serif: Studies show that readability is better with serif fonts. However, sans serif are more popular for web usage and serif for print.

MEDIA

Size: Big vs smallA study conducted by CXL on image sizes in experience-driven products and specs-driven revealed opposing results. The former received more visual engagement for smaller images, and the latter for larger images. The size of an image on your website depends on a variety of factors like placement, relevance, and type (given below). A rule of thumb is to ensure the image is responsive. Remember to keep these points in mind before running tests on image sizes.

Type: Image of object vs image of people vs videos> Illustrations and images of objects need to be in line with the service you offer. A distinct powerful image of an object should make the user stop and examine the website each time they visit. But this doesn’t mean that the image needs to say everything. Rather, the image just needs to reinforce the message in a relevant way visually. > While selecting images of people, make sure you focus on a single subject image than a crowd shot. Also, choose the image in which the person matches your target audience. Several corporations end up using uncanny stock photos of people. Of course, it does the opposite of the intended effect and comes across as insincere. Running a test between these two types will give you clear idea about the preference of your audience.> Consider your business offers complicated products/services. You might have to spend significant more time in educating your visitors, to persuade them to convert. In this case, a 30 second video accompanied by persuasive messaging can boost your conversions. You’ll end up covering the same ground of content as a long form piece with images. Besides boosting conversions, videos can be a vital in building trust in your brand.Make sure you A/B test each media type and match it to the context of the page, to make an informed decision about the one you finally pick.

Alignment: Left vs center vs rightThe alignment of media(images, illustrations, and videos) depends on the placement of the text as well. They should be complementary. Some copies use alternate between left and right alignment with the images placed alongside each section of text. This can be an effective way to retain the visitor’s attention by keeping them constantly engaged.

WEBSITE LAYOUT

Length: Long-forms vs short-form. In theory, a short form piece should land more conversions that a longer, more detailed version. However, in practice, there are cases in which the opposite works. Conversion Rate Experts found a 363% increase in CrazyEgg’s conversions by making the variant 20 times as long as the control.

Navigation vs no navigation: A commonly known “best practice” while building a landing page is removing the navigation menu. For some, this works: removes any form of distraction for the visitor, and guides them to remain within the funnel. However, there are quite a few cases in which removing the navigation of a page has increased its bounce rate since the visitors end up feeling trapped.

By allowing visitors to navigate away from the funnel, you give them the chance to educate themselves about the service you’re offering. Experiment both the cases to find the one which leads to maximum conversions. The results might surprise you.

Manual search vs drop-down search:

Visitors want to perform quick and easy searches. If you’re looking for a minimalistic design, a single search bar with manual text entry might be the right fit. However, using a drop down menu with clear choices steers the visitor towards swift decisions.

While monitoring each detail can help max out your conversion rates, conducting A/B tests between variations that create barely noticeable differences is a waste of resources. Try to figure out which of these elements are the most important, or could use the most drastic change. Only you will be able to answer that question.

Do you have any unique testing ideas that have had surprising results? Share your A/B test stories with us below!

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