Author: Creative Programs and Systems - page 328

Personalized Children’s Toys Alternatives To Generalized Gifts

What do you purchase for a child in your life when they already have everything?  You might be thinking about all the gifts the child in your life would enjoy.  What about a personalized children’s gift.  Personalizing a present for a child in your life is one way to show them how important they are to you.  Making something theirs, and only theirs, by personalizing it with their name it allows them to stake claim to the item.  Who doesn’t love something they can say is all theirs?

Sometimes personalized children’s toys can also have the child’s birth date on it.  This is a special way to personalize a present that is being given as birthday present.  It is a keepsake.  A personalized present to a child will have more of an impact than a generalized present any day.

My favorite personalized children’s toy is not really a toy at all.  For every baby shower we attend the baby is given a toy box with their name inscribed on it.  I was given one for each of my children and it is a keepsake they will have forever.  I keep all of the items that mean the most stored in the box for them.  Now that they are growing up that silky blanket they wouldn’t let go of until they were a bit older needs a place to live.  As do the yearbooks, first soccer shirts, ballet slippers and ever sentimental thing mom’s and dad’s tend to keep forever.

Options in personalized children’s toys and furniture are endless.  Some common gifts include pillow cases, plates, silverware, play kitchens, black belt holders, stools and cozy comfy chairs & bean bags.  Personalized gifts are best for children ages two to about eight.  From there a bit of the appeal may be lost.

Children in this age group find something ultra appealing about to be able to tell and show the world that something it is there’s.  So children that find their name engraved or painted upon something it is just that much more theirs.  This was so true when it came to the personalized pillows that my husband and I had made for our kids.  In fact my thirteen year old still sleeps with hers!  Those pillow cases go on every sleepover they have.  It was such a terrific gift.  My son’s nickname is Bear and he loves soccer so his is all about that.  Our daughter is a softball player.  We knew it from the first tee ball game.  Her pillow case is personalized with softballs and her name.

Another great present is a blanket that is made and embroidered with the baby’s name, date of birth, time and weight.  This gift is one that will grow with them and most likely become a personalized favorite.  A personalized gift basket filled with things all about the child is also a great way to personalize a gift.  Say you have a soccer fanatic like mine.  A gift basket filled with everything soccer from stickers to coloring books make a terrific personalized child’s gift.

A Land Survey Is Critical To Buying Property

It is important to be informed no matter what you are proceeding with in life.  This is true from the little purchase such as a new car to the large ones like a new house.  Being informed is important for several reasons; it lets you make decisions based upon facts instead of pressure and it leads you to explore each piece of a puzzle before settling.  It is important to note that purchases where money is exchanged need to be thought about.  This is especially true when it comes to purchases that need to be financed.  Purchasing a home is the biggest decision of many people’s lives.  It is a must to involve professionals into the picture to clearly understand what your dollars are buying.  When purchasing any type of property a land surveyor is a professional to count on.

It is critical to have any land surveyed that you are intent on purchasing.  There are several reasons for this.  The first is quite critical; you want to protect the investment you are making.  You are entitled to know exactly what your dollars are purchasing.  As a purchaser you want to know of boundary lines, any encroachment issues and where the easements lay.

A land survey is advisable before a purchase is made to clear up any information about where your land is.  When you look into adding onto that new purchase or installing a fence it will be important to know exactly where your land starts and stops to avoid encroachment issues with the neighbors.  Many neighborhoods are adding special by laws in about the property amount in comparison to the size of the home and any out buildings. They want to maintain a natural appeal to the neighborhood keeping natural landscaping and maintaining a ration of lawn to non-lawn.  This helps prevent an eye soar on people’s property.

You will want to know exactly what you are getting for your buck with land surveying.  The cost associated with land surveying will depend a little upon the type of survey that needs to be completed, the land type and how much has already been documented in previous land surveys completed upon the parcel of property.  Many times in existing sub-divisions home buyers get lucky and there is already a substantial amount of information known about the parcel.  If this is the case you may get away with corner monument being verified or line stakes placed on the property lines.

If you are looking to cut costs in the land survey process you will want to find copies of the homes current title and deed.  If you have already made the purchase before the land survey, which is unadvisable, clearing brush along the proposed property lines helps on your own will help decrease fees.

When choosing a land surveyor you should base your decision upon the surveyor’s competency and experience. Ask to see examples of previous jobs and find out before you hire them if previous jobs they have done are similar to what you are asking them to do for you.  A good survey meets your needs and will help you legally if boundary lines are ever questioned.

It is important to be informed no matter what you are proceeding with in life.  This is true from the little purchase such as a new car to the large ones like a new house.  Being informed is important for several reasons; it lets you make decisions based upon facts instead of pressure and it leads you to explore each piece of a puzzle before settling.  It is important to note that purchases where money is exchanged need to be thought about.  This is especially true when it comes to purchases that need to be financed.  Purchasing a home is the biggest decision of many people’s lives.  It is a must to involve professionals into the picture to clearly understand what your dollars are buying.  When purchasing any type of property a land surveyor is a professional to count on.

It is critical to have any land surveyed that you are intent on purchasing.  There are several reasons for this.  The first is quite critical; you want to protect the investment you are making.  You are entitled to know exactly what your dollars are purchasing.  As a purchaser you want to know of boundary lines, any encroachment issues and where the easements lay.

A land survey is advisable before a purchase is made to clear up any information about where your land is.  When you look into adding onto that new purchase or installing a fence it will be important to know exactly where your land starts and stops to avoid encroachment issues with the neighbors.  Many neighborhoods are adding special by laws in about the property amount in comparison to the size of the home and any out buildings. They want to maintain a natural appeal to the neighborhood keeping natural landscaping and maintaining a ration of lawn to non-lawn.  This helps prevent an eye soar on people’s property.

You will want to know exactly what you are getting for your buck with land surveying.  The cost associated with land surveying will depend a little upon the type of survey that needs to be completed, the land type and how much has already been documented in previous land surveys completed upon the parcel of property.  Many times in existing sub-divisions home buyers get lucky and there is already a substantial amount of information known about the parcel.  If this is the case you may get away with corner monument being verified or line stakes placed on the property lines.

If you are looking to cut costs in the land survey process you will want to find copies of the homes current title and deed.  If you have already made the purchase before the land survey, which is unadvisable, clearing brush along the proposed property lines helps on your own will help decrease fees.

When choosing a land surveyor you should base your decision upon the surveyor’s competency and experience. Ask to see examples of previous jobs and find out before you hire them if previous jobs they have done are similar to what you are asking them to do for you.  A good survey meets your needs and will help you legally if boundary lines are ever questioned.

Bathroom Remodeling Ideas

Next to your kitchen and living room, your bathroom is likely one of the most used rooms in your home. While it’s not really considered a place of rest and relaxation in most homes, though it certainly could be in yours, it is a room that serves multiple purposes. For this reason, the layout of your bathroom, and even the ‘vibe’ that it gives you can be quite important. So, here are a few ideas for you if you’re considering a bathroom remodeling project.

Replace the bathtub

If you have the space, and you’re not purely a ‘shower person’, think about replacing your bath tub. Nowadays, bathtubs can provide so much more in terms of relaxation, usability, and even visual appeal than the plain-jane, off-white oblong tubs of days past. Tubs come in different shapes, sizes, and even with new amenities — such as jets — which can turn your bathtub into a jacuzzi for your home.

Add or relocate shelving

When you purchase your home, unless you build new, things are not always setup in your home in a way that suits your needs or tastes. Adding an extra shelf or two, or maybe a cabinet, can free up some of your counter space or just give you more storage space for your toiletries, towels, or cleaning products.

Create a ‘themed’ bathroom

Many women, and some men, too, like ‘themed’ rooms where the colors and the style matches perfectly. If you have two bathrooms in your home, you might want to consider creating a dark room, preferably one with a jacuzzi or relaxing tub, and a light room that will help you wake up when you are getting ready for your day. While the dark and light themes may not coincide with interior decorating norms these days — think about the benefits of having a relaxing bathroom where you, or your significant other, can relax after a long day. It’s definitely worth the consideration.

Because your bathroom is a multi-purpose room, it’s worth thinking about ways that you can improve your bathroom’s look, feel, and functionality. While our list of bathroom remodeling ideas is hardly comprehensive, maybe these seed ideas can be a starting point for you to generate ideas on how you want your remodeled bathroom to look.

Oceanic Construction is a bathroom and kitchen remodeling company providing services to Livingston County, Michigan and Lee and Collier Counties in Florida.

5 Ways to Make a Small Bathroom Look Bigger

Whether your bathroom is small and cramped, or it just feels like it, there are ways that you can increase the size of your bathroom, at least perceptually, without having to hire a bathroom remodeling company. Here are five tips that you can use to make your small bathroom seem bigger than it really is.

Walls and flooring – keep them soft and light

The color of your bathroom’s walls and flooring can have a big impact on how you perceive your bathroom. Colors will not only affect the ‘mood’ that your bathroom conveys, but they will also affect how you see your bathroom size-wise. Lose the contrasting colors and crazy wallpaper and replace them with a simple, light-colored theme with a soft wall patten, if any. If your bathroom is too ‘busy’ or has starkly contrasting colors, this tends to make your bathroom look smaller.

Bring in the lights

Lighting isn’t just good for the eyes; illumination can also help to make your bathroom seem larger than it really is. If you can, it’s best to incorporate natural lighting, such as through a skylight or through generous use of windows. However, if those options are not available to you for budget, space, or privacy reasons, adding more light to your bathroom, specifically in low-light areas, can really open things up, especially when used with lighter colors in your bathroom.

Use mirrors to your advantage

Just like the mirror in Snow White had magical properties, mirror can work their ‘magic’ to make your bathroom seem bigger than it really is. If possible, place a mirror opposite of an outside window, or at the very least, place mirrors opposite each other to improve your bathroom’s perceptual space. If you’re an abstract thinker type with a penchant for the scientific side of life, you can even use your mirrors creatively to bounce light off from each other to brighten your bathroom up even more. Which, more light is always better when you’re trying to make a room look bigger than it actually is.

Replace your low-setting, wide cabinets with tall, skinny cabinets

Just like vertical lines on your clothing will make you look taller and slimmer, opting for tall, skinny cabinets vs. clunky, wide-based cabinets, will give your bathroom the perception of being taller than it really is.

Remove the knick-knacks and doodads

While decorating your bathroom to make it feel more ‘homey’ may appeal to you, too many decorations, ornaments, floor mats, wall-hung candles, and pictures will actually clutter up your room causing it too look and feel more restricted. If you have a small bathroom and you want to make it look bigger, you have to minimize the clutter, which can mean removing some of the excess decorations from your bathroom.

The previous ideas are available to just about anybody who is into DIY bathroom remodeling and has a bit of handyman (or handy-woman) experience. However, if you have a bit of money tucked away, you can always hire a bathroom remodeling contractor to come in and make a few changes that can have a big impact on your bathroom space perception. For instance, you can incorporate recessed lighting to free up wall space, opt for a wall-mounted toilet and sink vs. the standard floor-mounted models, and if you have a traditional bathroom door that opens inwards, you can replace that with a sliding door that hides itself within your wall.

Regardless of your budget, though, even these small and inexpensive bathroom remodeling project ideas make a big impact on how you perceive your bathroom’s available space.

Oceanic Construction provides bathroom and kitchen remodeling services to Bonita Springs, Estero, Fort Meyers and Naples, Florida.

Choosing a Kitchen Remodeling Company

Your kitchen’s role in your home is quite important — it’s not only the culinary center for your finest home-cooked meals, but it’s the fast-food joint for microwavable dinners, the storage place for most of your food, and where you, or one of your family members spend time cleaning up between meals. In most homes, the kitchen is one of the most-used rooms in the house, so its organization, usability, and even style can have a major impact on your home’s day-to-day happenings. For this reason, and quite a few more, it’s important that you hire a reliable, and reputable, kitchen remodeling to improve your kitchen’s style and functionality.

Like most home construction tasks, it’s important to hire the right company to do your work for you. Just as you probably shouldn’t trust your vehicle’s maintenance to a random mechanic that you find in the yellow pages, you shouldn’t entrust your kitchen remodeling project to a random construction or home remodeling company. While it might seem like installing new cabinets, replacing a countertop, painting the walls, or installing a new kitchen sink would be menial jobs for somebody even with marginal home improvement skills, there’s still a lot that could go wrong.

With high-dollar projects especially, you should invest a bit of time into looking for a suitable kitchen remodeling contractor instead of picking a name from a hat, so to speak. Whether this means that you ask for references from a prospective construction crew, you ask friends or family for recommendations, or you use the internet to locate contracting companies for your kitchen remodeling project, you should incorporate a bit of judgment into your selection for which company upgrades your kitchen. After all, your kitchen is heavily trafficked and heavily used, and the last thing you need is to hire an unreliable kitchen remodeling company.

If you’re in the Brighton, Michigan or Naples, Florida areas, check out Oceanic Construction. They offer kitchen and bathroom remodeling services, and they have the years of expertise to get the job done right, the first time around.

How to Find a Reputable Michigan Website Design Company

Providing online services is popular these days, and when you’re looking for a website design company, there are literally thousands of choices in front of you. Everybody from Joey the high-school student to Susan the former postal worker is trying to make extra money, and because performing basic web design services requires nothing more than a can-do attitude and a bit of trial and error, many of today’s website design service providers are individuals, oftentimes disguised as bigger than they really are.

Especially in Michigan, where the economy is in a poor state, website design services abound. However, when you’re looking for a Michigan-based website design company, and one that is established at that, how do you go about finding one of these local website designers?

Verify that they are a Michigan-based company

Many business owners and individuals use classified ads, and classified ad websites, such as Craigslist.org, to locate the services they need. However, many of the advertisements for website design services, whether they targeting Lansing, Grand Rapids, or Detroit, are out-of-state website designers. While quite a few of them are near-Michigan companies, almost as many are for states on the other side of the country. When you visit the website designer’s website, check out their contact information to verify whether they are a Michigan-based company or not.

Do they have an active website?

Hiring a website designer without a website is a lot like hiring a photographer without any pictures — it doesn’t make sense. It’s ironic, actually, that a fair number of self-professed web designers don’t currently have an active website online. The story is usually the same — they’re working on it. However, if you’re looking for a reliable website design company, don’t choose one that does not have a website of their own.

Do they have a physical office?

Running a service-based business online, like website design, is nothing like running a brick and mortar company. Offices, especially if there are employees involved, require hundreds or thousands of dollars per month to maintain whereas anybody with $15 and a credit card, or bank card, can setup a website online. While some website design firms operate out of the owner’s home, and plenty of legitimate businesses operate this way, if a design company has a verifiable brick and mortar office location, there’s a good chance that they are dedicated, professional, and should at least be a serious candidate for your web design company of choice.

Michigan has a lot of website designers to choose from, if for no other reason than there are a lot of people in the state looking to make extra money. However, this short list of qualifiers should help you to narrow your choices down when you’re looking for a Michigan website design company.

CPS is a website design company offering search engine positioning services to Pinckney, Howell, Brighton, South Lyon and all of Livingston County, Michigan.

What to Look For in a Home Remodeling Company

When it’s time to remodel your home, you need to take some time to consider which home remodeling company you will use. The outcome of your home’s remodeling project is quite important — it not only can affect the value of your home, good or bad, but ultimately you have to live with the outcome of the project. With those things in mind, what traits should you look for when you hire a home improvement company?

Experience matters

When you are going over the construction estimates for your home improvement project, you’ll want to go with a company that has been in business for a while. In this business, experience is an absolute must. Some companies can offer many years of experience as proof that they know what they are doing, and experience, when it comes to comes to remodeling your home, should matter more than the bottom-line price. This is not to say that every new company is unable to pull of your project, or that a low-dollar bidder wouldn’t be the best choice for your home improvement project. The point here is that you should be looking for a company that has been around long enough to know how to handle your project’s requirements and then some.

Companies that oversee their contractors

When it’s your home we’re talking about, you want to make sure that someone is supervising each and every project. In some situations, you hire a construction company that uses contractors, only to find out that the company you hired isn’t doing a good job of supervising those contractors. Before you sign a contract with a home improvement company, you should make sure that they are going to be active in overseeing the completion of your project. The project is much more likely to stay on budget, on deadline, and be completed as agreed if the primary building company is there to oversee to the construction.

A company that takes care of your needs

Your home is likely your biggest, and most expensive asset, so you should have some say in how the project is done. Some companies will want to do it their way and they’ll be annoyed when you try to chime in. The fact of the matter is that you don’t need to work with a company that laughs off your thoughts. The lead contractors should be willing to not only listen, but also work with you to help you get what you’re looking for out of the remodeling project. If you can find a company that does great work and looks after you at the same time, you’ve got a real winner.

Choosing a home remodeling company is a big decision, and not one that should be taken lightly. Take some time, get to know the bidding construction companies and what they have to offer, check out some of their previous work, and really pay attention to how they interact with you. Anybody with some tools can build a house, but a reputable and reliable home remodeling company can help you turn the house you have into the home you want.

Paddock Builders is a Livingston County home construction company offering remodeling and renovation services to Novi, Howell, Brighton and the surrounding areas.

Increase your Home’s Resale Value by Remodeling your Kitchen and Bathroom

For many home owners out there, increasing the sale value of their property is something that’s a focus. Over the last couple of years, these homeowners have been looking to remodel their home in direct ways that will provide immediate value when they put their home on the market. This doesn’t have to be big time construction, either. A cabinet here and there doesn’t cost a lot of money, so kitchen and bathroom remodeling is a cost effective way to go about improving the home. Statistics say that with a successful kitchen remodeling project or bathroom improvement project, homeowners can get a significant return on their investment. In some cases, they can increase the value of their home by 70% more than what they paid to remodel.

That statistic isn’t true across the board, though. Solid projects will bring in more return on investment than poorly completed projects. If you want your home to be worth a significant amount more when you’re done, you have to make sure the project is done correctly. This might mean hiring the right contractor or contracting company, or it could mean pulling off the custom construction by yourself. Your own abilities will determine which of these is a better option.

If you are thinking about remodeling your kitchen or bathroom, then you probably have some questions. Why do these two things add such value to the home? What real estate agents will tell you is that when people are shopping for a home, they are more apt to remember these big projects. Women and men alike will value a great area to prepare food. Likewise, bathrooms are something that seems to stand out in the mind of many potential home buyers.

Another reason why you might want to remodel the bathroom or kitchen is that it’s one of the cheapest projects to complete within the home. You can find affordable cabinets for your kitchen and a lot of the work can be done on your own. The cost of the projects is often quite low, even if you hire a contractor or two to take care of certain aspects of the remodel. When you only pour a few thousand dollars into a project and you can get more than a couple of thousand in return on added value in your home, it is time to start really considering this project as more than a remodel. It’s an investment in a way, and something that almost any homeowner can benefit from.

Oceanic Construction is a Fort Meyers kitchen and bath remodeling company. Visit their website to view their remodeling services.

Computer Viruses and Spyware – Silent Killers and Thieves

Most of us use our computers several times a week, and many of us use our computers on a daily basis. Because our PCs boot up, our programs run when we double-click on icons, and we can browse the internet unfettered, far too many of us mistakenly assume that our computers have a clean bill of health. Unfortunately, however, for some people — maybe you — there are silent killers working their black voodoo magic the background; viruses and spyware slowly siphoning your personal information away to strangers, and maybe even destroying your files, and killing off your computer’s internal protection measures so that they can operate freely within the confines of your computer system’s walls. The question is — are you an unwitting participant in this based-on-a-true-story, made-for-PCs horror movie?

Spyware – the identity thief

Spyware can rob you of your privacy, and it can lead to the complete takeover of your identity by unscrupulous third parties. Sometimes spyware is relatively benign, aside from the privacy intrusion implications, and does little more than track your internet usage or monitors the software that you use on your computer. Other spyware, however, keeps track of passwords that you enter into login forms, grabs your credit card numbers, bank account numbers, social security number, as well as other sensitive information, and sends it to an unknown party who either uses it themselves or sells it to others for them to use as they wish.

Spyware is unfortunately very easy to ‘catch’, kind of like the common cold or food poisoning, depending on how you look at it. While spyware is generally embedded in software that you download and install — like a game, a toolbar, a PC security application, or even a coupon printer — your computer can also become infected through simply visiting a malicious web page that exploits a hole in your computer’s security.

Viruses – the PC killer

Viruses, while they can have spyware-like implications, are infections that can spread throughout your PC much like a virus spreads throughout your body and can result in sickness. However, much like viruses that infect us, computer viruses can be asymptomatic, and you might not be able to tell that your PC is infected until it’s too late. Viruses can be unfortunately devastating — they can disable certain functions on your computer, like being able to run certain anti-virus software, they can disable your internet altogether or prevent you from visiting specific websites, and they can even render your computer completely unusable.

While most computer viruses are not ‘invisible’, so to speak, they can remain hidden for quite some time if they do not affect your daily computer-usage routines. If a computer virus is left to run as it pleases, eventually you will suffer some kind of data loss, and maybe even lose the ability to boot up your computer anymore.

How to verify that your computer is free of viruses and spyware

The best way to confirm that your computer is spyware and virus free is to have a professional computer repair technician scan your PC for viruses and spyware. While there are plenty of virus and spyware removal tools available today for the amateur and pro DIY (do it yourself) computer repair technician, when in the hands of a computer novice, they can actually be quite dangerous because of the false sense of security that they can give. While you should absolutely install trusted anti-virus and anti-spyware software on your computer, sometimes it just isn’t enough to protect your PC from new infections.

If you do not want to be an unwitting participant in this all-too-real, made-for-PCs horror-movie scenario, you need to be aware of the inherit risks of using your computer, especially when you are continually connected to the internet. Don’t assume that your computer is clean just because it runs, or even because a free anti-virus or anti-spyware program says that your computer is clean. For your own security and privacy’s sake, have a professional scan your computer for viruses and spyware from time to time — it’s a precautionary measure that may very well save you from a world of hurt in the not-too-distant future.

CPS provides computer repair services and virus and spyware removal to Brighton, Howell, Whitmore Lake, Novi, and all of Livingston County, Michigan.

Home Remodeling Costs – Are They Worth The Price?

When your current housing arrangement does not meet your wants or needs, you have two options in front of you — you can add on to your home, or you can purchase a new home that meets your criteria. While purchasing a new home is certainly an option, many homeowners purchased or acquired their current home for a variety of specific reasons, so moving is likely a last-resort option. However, when weighing out the overall costs and benefits of remodeling or upgrading your home, is it worth the price tag?

One of the most important factors in determining whether moving or upgrading is a better option for you is how happy you are with your home, and its location. If you like your neighborhood, you have an emotional attachment to your home, or you just really like your house, the costs associated with remodeling your home are almost guaranteed to be justified so long as you deal with a reputable construction company. However, if you don’t really like your house, and especially if you do not like your neighborhood, any home additions or upgrades would likely be deemed ‘too much’, even when considering the arduous prospects of buying a home, moving, and trying to sell your home in a poor economic climate.

Another determining factor in whether or not home remodeling costs are worth the price is your reason for wanting to remodel your home. If you’re looking to remodel your home to accommodate your own needs, such as an office space, an updated bathroom, or a play area for the kids, this is one thing. However, if your reasoning for home renovation is to increase the value of your home for resale, this is something completely different. A house’s value is determined, in part, by the values of the properties that surround it. If your sole motivation for home renovation is to boost your home’s selling price, you should thoroughly research the properties in your area, get an estimates for your proposed upgrades, and maybe even speak to a realtor before you commit to a costly aesthetic upgrade for profit purposes. Now, if you just want to turn your current home into a your ‘dream home’, the ends typically justify the means, especially if you like your house and your neighborhood.

Finally, you should assess whether or not you can afford to renovate your home at this time. A good home remodeling company will work with you and your budget, but regardless of how good of a deal you get with a remodeler, it’s still going to cost you some money. Alternately, if you cannot afford all of your proposed home upgrades at present, but have a small amount in your budget to get started on your project, speak with a professional builder to discuss the options available to you.

Bottom line, if you like your home and you like your neighborhood, there’s a good chance that home remodeling is more than worth the price. If you choose to work exclusively with an established, and reputable, home remodeling company, they can help you turn your current home into your dream home without breaking your budget.

Paddock Builders provides home remodeling services to Brighton, Howell, and Wixom Michigan. Visit Paddock Builders for your home renovation needs.