The crystals I use... swarovski

Swarovski is a luxury brand for fine cut crystals. The company was founded a hundred years ago, when Daniel Swarovski a man that invented a cutting machinery for crystals, thought of making jewelry. The firm began having success after a few years and nowadays the name Swarovski is known around the world for it`s beautiful jewerlries and for it`s extraordinary designs. Swarovski makes vintage jewelry with amazing models and designs, modern jewelry and many other items. The jewelry from Swarovski includes bracelets, earrings, necklaces, rings, watches, pins, buttons, cuff links, brooches, hairpins etc. Swarovski has released many collections, that in time have become very popular.

The company also makes jewelry in the form of charms and other small things that look great. Teenagers and kids have also a lot of products from which to choose. Swarovski has thought at everything that`s why this label has such a big success. People love buying from Swarovski for many reasons. First of all the prices are more cheap and the quality is the same. Swarovski is known for it`s quality products and so, buying from Swarovski means you have done a good deal.

Besides jewelries, Swarovski has spread also into other domains. Because the crystals were so popular, fashion designers and other companies have started to buy Swarovski crystals in big amounts. The designers have come up with new collections where these crystals are a must have. Nowadays people wear clothes , hats, purses, shoes, glasses, watches, belts, scarves and many other items that have crystals of different colours applied. The fashion industry has helped a lot the Swarovski label to rise up to the top.

Besides fashion Swarovski has developed into art, sculpture, home decor, technology etc. Home decor has had a great success with the items Swarovski produced. People that know the label Swarovski buy the items just because they are made by a big name. Things like nigh lamps, chandeliers made entirely out of crystals, table ornaments, in general home accessories, give a glamorous and luxury look to any home. Technology also wanted a piece of the Swarovski popularity and so, it has come up with lcd`s that have crystals applied, cell phones adorned with crystals and so on. We see nowadays, people that custom their car with crystals on the interior.

As a conclusion, Swarovski is one of the most popular brand of jewelry in the world. There is a Swarovski shop in every city in the world, and those that want to buy online, can visit the Swarovski site and order one of the many jewelry models. Swarovski is represented through the logo, by a swan. The swan symbolizes elegance, style and beauty. It`s a great logo, for a jewelry brand and it`s design has impressed many people. In the end, the success comes with a lot of work and with passion. Swarovski tries to please every customer, and it even takes special requests. It`s a brand that has all the motives to be appreciated.

T-shirts

One of America's most articulate avenues of self-expression is the t-shirt. It matters not whether it states your thoughts in words, or by picturing your favorite product or brand name, your feelings are publicized to all who set eyes on you. What's more, just sporting a t-shirt is a statement in and of itself.

The origin of the American t-shirt is not easily traced because there is so little written about it in history. The best way to track its existence is searching through historical photographs.

Legend says that American soldiers of WW1 envied the uniform of their British counterparts. The British wore an undergarment of a standard issue t-shirt. The pullover shirt had a round neck, short sleeves, and was waist-length. No buttons or collar graced the practical undergarment. Made from comfortable cotton, it was soft and lightweight on the skin. The soldier's sweat was absorbed by the undergarment, permitting fewer launderings of their heavy wool uniform.

Although it's not really known when the t-shirt began being worn by Americans as an undergarment, in 1920, Webster included "T-shirt" in its dictionary. What's more, a 1942 Life magazine cover depicted an American soldier wearing it.

In 1954, the famous actor Marlin Brando wore just a white t-shirt underneath his leather jacket for the first time in movie-making history. The famous movie was On The Waterfront. In Rebel Without A Cause, James Dean carried a pack of cigarettes rolled-up in one of the t-shirt's short sleeves and epitomized the fashion icon of America's dissenting youth.

At the turn of the decade, the conforming American middle-class was represented by the Leave It To Beaver television program. In it, the boys wore a plain, white t-shirt under their button-down plaid shirts. The beatnik counter-culture, however, (as shown on The Many Loves of Dobie Gillis television show) made their fashion uniform wearing only a t-shirt.

Southern California drag racers airbrushed elaborate lettering and stylish flames on their t-shirts before they started enhancing the look of their race cars.

The hippies made their own exotic statement by tying up the t-shirt with string or rubber bands, and then poured bright dyes to selected segments. This resulted in eye-catching patterns made of brilliant colors.

The wearing of only a t-shirt was fashionable in America until 1984 when the popular television show Miami Vice created a new fashion: Don Johnson donned a designer jacket over a t-shirt for a casual business look.

Legend also says the first use of the t-shirt for advertising was when Warner Bros. production studio, in 1939, printed a Wizard of Oz t-shirt. Later, in the early fifties, several companies in Miami decorated t-shirts with local resort names and Disney cartoon characters.

T-shirts made their first political statement in 1948 when supporters of Thomas E. Dewey (who lost the presidential election to Harry Truman) wore t-shirts screaming, "Dew It For Dewey".

In the 1960's, the advent of t-shirt screen-printing provided an economical means to express oneself. It didn't take long before corporate America utilized it regularly as a marketing tool.

Officially licensing of team names and logos was instigated by professional sports associations, and a seasonal money tree bloomed. Rock and roll bands entered the marketing arena with the concert t-shirt: a black shirt plugging the concert tour they were playing. Fans wore them long after the stated tour ended to prove they supported the band.

From a hand-written scrawl to a personal design created on one's computer, Americans let everyone know what they think with their t-shirts. Whether you are a diehard Red Sox fan or a political activist, a comedian without a mike or a mother-to-be, the t-shirt can communicate your passion to everyone, and it can do it for very little money.

Can you get cheap t-shirts?

Everyone is always looking for a bargain. A bargain by definition means: Something offered, bought, or sold at a price favorable to the buyer. With that is mind why wouldn't you be able to get cheap shirts that are high quality.

The reason screen printers are reluctant to lower their price on their products is because there is so much that goes into producing a quality printed product. If you want to get cheap shirts that are high quality there are a few concessions that you are going to have to make. In your search for quality products at a cheap price always remember this "You get what you pay for ". With that said there are a few things that you can do to ensure that you get the cheap shirts that you're seeking.

1. You must be willing to cut back on the detail of the design you wish to have printed.
2. There are comparable products that you can chose instead of the most recognizable brand name.
3. Consider the always offered volume discount.
4. Companies that are getting into a nitch market are always looking to offer a discount so they can get their foot in the door.
5. Do as much of the leg work as you can.

I will explain the 5 guidelines I gave you above:

1. You may have a design that has a lot of detail in it. Sure it would look fabulous printed on those black t-shirts. Maybe though the person that designed the graphic never considered the factors go into producing it on to a t-shirt and maybe you really don't know what it takes to get t-shirts made with such a graphic yourself. Well, there is no shame there. A good screen printer knows that the everyday customer doesn't care about how you get it on the shirt they just want it on their shirts. Your top screen printing companies will take the time to explain to you the procedures that are necessary to reproduce your graphic. Once you have a good understand of what goes into printing I feel sure that you will be willing to reconsider your options. A good screen printer can get great results using fewer colors in your design which will help to keep the cost down and you may be able to up grade the quality of the shirt.
2. There are many more manufactures today there in years past. Most all of these companies produce their own line of products. Each company wants to be able to thrive in the current trend market. Therefore they all have similar products. Your screen printing company will be or should be aware of all the different products available to you.
3. In the custom t-shirt and embroidery business most all companies offer you a discount on volume orders. To get the price you want consider purchasing a few more shirts then you had planned. The over all price may be more but the cost per piece will be less. That allows you to get the produce that you want but at a cheaper price and more of them.
4. Just because a company is new in a nitch market doesn't mean that they are new into the market altogether. Do a little research on the company you're considering, You can even call the company and discuss things with them. You will get a good feel for their experience by speaking directly to them. Remember they are offering cheap shirts because they want to be a player in this new trend. Take advantage of it.
5. If you will do your research before you call on a company you will be able to go in there confident in what you need and how you expect to get it. A good screen printing company will appreciate that.

WE ONLY USE HIGH QUALITY T-SHIRTS in our production... check us out at
http://www.stylehippo.com

How to accept credit cards online?

Anyone with an online business, whether for auctions, services, or virtually any type of product, has asked the same question at some time during their quest to create the ultimate online business - "How do I accept credit cards?"

Since over 90% of all transactions on the Internet involve customers paying by credit card, accepting plastic money rates a must for almost any business.

The problem for most small online business owners involves the high cost of setting up and maintaining a credit card merchant account.

With startup fees ranging from $200 to $500, minimum monthly fees of at least $40 to $50, plus per transaction fees and a percentage of sales, most people who want to supplement their income online or test an idea can't risk that kind of money.

Add in credit checks, 48-month service contracts, expensive equipment purchases or leasing, financial statements, and last 3 years' tax returns and most people throw up their hands and give up before they even get started.

Fortunately several companies responded to this problem with unique solutions that enable smaller online merchants to accept credit cards at a fraction of those high startup costs with no long-term commitment, no equipment purchases, and zero minimum monthly fees.

PayPal.com

PayPal has gotten some negative press over the last couple of years, but that press has been mostly undeserved.

PayPal makes it easy for you to collect money for your online sales, send money to merchants, bill people monthly, collect dues and donations and integrate a free shopping cart into your site.

Of all the payment and money transfer services online, PayPal ranks as the absolute lowest in cost and the easiest to set up.

PayPal allows merchants to sell physical and downloadable products along with personal services.

ClickBank.com

For a $50 one-time fee ClickBank enables online ebook, software and other electronic information sellers to not only accept credit cards, but provide instant delivery of their products to online purchasers.

ClickBank allows any merchant to accept virtually every major credit card on the planet.

The online merchant simply adds a purchase link to their site, the customer clicks the link, fills in their payment information and the credit card gets authorized on the spot.

Once the card gets approved ClickBank redirects the buyer to a page that enables them to download the ebook, software, or other product they have just purchased.

ClickBank also operates a fully integrated affiliate program that automatically pays affiliates who sell your products for you.

ClickBank heavily restricts what merchants may sell through the service and does not allow the sale of physical goods.

PaySystems.com

Of the three, Paysystems behaves most like a traditional credit card merchant account.

The service allows the merchant to integrate with a number of third-party shopping carts as well as use the PaySystems shopping cart system.

Merchants pay a small transaction fee and a percentage of the sale, but don't sign up for any long-term service contracts or equipment leases.

celebrity toilet stories... lol

A look into the bathrooms of celebrities. Celebrities include Miley Cyrus,Barbra Walters,Leonardo DiCaprio,Cameron Diaz, and list goes on.

1. Lenny Kravitz: Music sensation Lenny Kravitz's toilet causes almost one million dollars in damages. Starting in October 2004 Lenny Kravitz has accumulated various lawsuits from neighbors living below the rock star. These lawsuits totalling close to 800,00 dollars worth of damage were caused by Kravitz's blocked toilet, which leaked into the dwellers apartments below the rock star.

2. Leonardo DiCaprio: Eco-friendly Leo went on a spending spree and splurged on a ... no not a Prius, a toilet. Leo spent over 3,000 dollars on the eco friendly Neorest toilet. The Neorest toilet is tankless, and features front and rear warm water washing, automatic air dryer, deodorizer, and a sensor activated lid. This throne is also equipped with a remote that controls water temperture, and other options. Very cool purchase. The flush is only 1.6 gpf. You would think that Leo would be a bit more green and go with a lower flush toilet.

3. George Michael: George Michael has been up to no good, twice in the bathroom. He was caught the first time in 1998 in Beverly Hills for lewd conduct. Eleven years later George was caught with drugs in a London public bathroom.

4. Miley Cyrus and Barbra Walters: Miley is gifted at everything including gift giving. In March 2008 Miley sent talk show host Barbra Walters a golden toilet. Unfortunately the toilet was not life sized, but it was inscribed: "Barbra, So you will always remember the Cyrus family."

5. Dave Matthews Band: In 2004 while driving on a bridge over the Chicago River a tour bus allegedly belonging to the Dave Matthews Band dumped its septic tank waste. Unfortunatley the waste landed all over the sightseers on a boat below. The Dave Matthews band is being sued by the city of Chicago for polluting the river.

6. Larry Craig: The Idaho Sentator, Larry Craig was caught by an undercover cop in the summer of 2007 tapping his foot in a way that is commonly known to signal a desire to engage sexual conduct in a public restroom. When the cop confronted the Senator he claimed that he had a, "wide stance." Craig ended up pleading guilty to a disorderly conduct charge.

7. Enrique Iglesias: Enrique admits to stage fright. No, he doesnt get scared on stage in front of millions of adoring fans. He gets bladder shy when he is in a public restroom. He claims that he avoids crowded toilets. He later admits to joking about this subject... I don't know, where there is smoke, there is fire.

8. Miley Cyrus: It's Miley again. Before becoming an amazing singer and actress. Miley revelead that her previous job was with a cleaning service. One of her duties with this company was scrubbing toilets. She claimed on the Tyra Banks Show, that she can scrub a toilet. What can't Miley do?

9. Cameron Diaz: In a May 19 2009 interview on the Jay Leno show, Cameron Diaz shares her green bathroom habits with the world. She lives by the credo, "If it's yellow leave it mellow, if it's brown flush it down." Nice

10. Lily Allen: In April 2008 british singer Lily Allen joined her male friends in the mens room at the Royal Albert Hall in London. She was quickly kicked out by the bathroom attentandent who had alerted security. I guess the lines were shorter.... waiting lines.

Fashion is in the air

Fashion is in the air .. the only things is it is difficult to tell whether we should be putting away our spring wear and taking out the summer wear.... The weather (at least in NYC) has been very mild this year so far... Or maybe it is going to be typical for New York... All of a sudden it is going to hit us like a rude new yorker nudging us on the subway... we will be sitting there and then boom.. hot humid weather we will be wishing for the mild cool breezes that have been coming through... as of late... i say lets vote for year round 65 - 70 degree weather... and lets have it... why not.. it would be more convenient for all of us as far as fashion goes... just think about.. it... no more summer, fall, winter, spring fashions... we could just go by the time of the year.. and add variations that way... maybe i am just hopefully wishing for something...