Home / Archives for 03/18/13

Maritime Chic

Posted by om 0 comments




Get the nautical look 

 
Nautical style





  


 Trend Report - Nautical Chic

The coastal trend is easy to adopt whether you live by the coast or in an more urban environment. If you're based by the sea, it's more appropriate to go all out coastal in your scheme by embracing nautical elements and colours - think stripes, maritime decor, nautral textures and bold blue hues. If, however, you're just looking to add a hint of this summertime trend into an existing scheme, then think about swapping out your current cushions for new pieces with a nautical stripe or anchor design. This simple decor swap is a quick and affordable way to refresh your scheme for the warmer months, without having to fully embrace the trend.

Melissah xox

Images via 1, 2 moodboard by Coastal Style, 3, 4, 5, 6

Check out Coastal Style on tumblr and Pinterest

Read More ....
Categories: ,

Guest Blog Post by Eric Shaffer: Natural Remedies for Preventing Strokes

Posted by om 0 comments

This blog is a guest post by Eric Shaffer, a freelance writer from Florida.  He specializes in writing articles on nutrition and pharmaceuticals. For questions about this article, you can contact Eric at: ericshaffer32@gmail.com.



Naturally lowering your risk of stroke and reasons to be cautious with blood thinners

If someone is at risk for a stroke, or has had a stroke previously, most doctors are quick to prescribe harsh drugs for their patients. While strokes should be taken very seriously, there are usually safer options available than prescription medications.

When looking for natural ways to prevent stroke, it is important to know the risk factors that can lead to a stroke. Controlling or eliminating risk factors may be all you need to protect yourself. Good blood flow is key, so issues like high blood pressure, high cholesterol, smoking, and being overweight are all major risk factors. Some surprising risk factors include oral contraceptives in women, stress, binge drinking, and eating right before going to sleep. Many of these can be handled with diet and exercise or slight lifestyle changes. 

A Healthy Diet Matters

A healthy, well rounded diet is important for so many reasons, including avoiding stroke. Your diet should include a variety of fresh fruits and vegetables. Oranges and citrus fruits are particularly important because they contain flavanones. Tomato products are also very important because of the lycopene they contain which prevents cancer and heart disease. Green tea has been shown to help reduce stroke risk, unfortunately for it to be effective, you must drink five cups per day. If this is more green tea than you can take, there are supplements on the market that will give you the same benefits. The Omega-3 fatty acids contained in fish are also very beneficial. Eating broiled or baked fish just one to three times a month lowers your chance of stoke significantly. Surprisingly, fried fish will actually increase your chance of stoke because frying destroys the Omega-3 fatty acids. Foods to avoid, or enjoy in moderation, are red meats, white flour, and sugar.

There are many supplements and vitamins to consider before using prescription medications. A simple daily vitamin that's high in B vitamins and Folic Acid is a great place to start. B vitamins will even help avoid depression if someone has already suffered from a stroke. Garlic has properties similar to aspirin, as does Ginkgo Biloba. These should not be taken without consulting a doctor, because Ginkgo Biloba can thin your blood. It will also improve circulation and can even minimize the damage a stroke can cause when taken before or during a stroke.

Fish oils provide important Omega-3 fatty acids, as talked about previously. If you are vegetarian, or you don't like the side effects from fish oils, there are DHA pills, produced from algae, available that provide similar effects. With any medication, it is important to consult your doctor before adding or changing your vitamin intake. 

Exercise: It’s never too late to start

Exercise is another key component for avoiding stroke and overall health. It allows your body to react to bleeding faster and improves circulation and blood flow. Just walking several times a week will drastically lower your chance of stroke. People who are active through their 20's and 30's have a much lower risk, but it's never too late to start an exercise regimen that will significantly help your health.

Common Blood Thinners and the Issues

There are medications your doctor can prescribe that lower your chances of stroke but they should only be used as a last resort, if lifestyle and diet changes aren't enough. The most popular are Coumadin and Pradaxa. Both of these are blood thinners that can result in massive hemorrhaging or uncontrolled bleeding. Pradaxa, which has been on the market for two years, has already blamed for over 500 deaths and currently has 200 lawsuits filed against them in federal court. Once pradaxa is administered, there is no antidote if the bleeding starts, unlike its counterpart Coumadin. Any hemorrhage or major injury will cause the patient to bleed to death. There are also many minor side effects associated with these drugs.

You should consult your doctor and come up with a plan of action if you are at risk for a stroke. There are so many changes to make and things to try before jumping to prescription medications that have life threatening side effects. A healthy diet, along with regular exercise, can do amazing things for your overall health. 

Read More ....
Categories: , , , , , ,

Surrounded by sweet supplies

Posted by om 0 comments


You know that I love supplies...all kinds...vintage, new, bits, bobs...and I'm sure many of you can identify and have your own issues with hoarding craft supplies. Caches of vintage buttons, vast reams of scrapbooking papers, obsessively loved vintage wallpaper scraps, boxes of old photos, about a million paints...most with about two drops left in the bottle, multitudinous mediums with wide ranging capabilities...whew!...you know who you are! 
 We love to surround our selves with these things. The stuff that makes the magic happen. Some of my very favorite art journal pages happened because of my hoards...my piles of happy colored trims, papers, stickers, tapes. The supplies dictated the outcome of the art. I am normally not one of those types that shop specifically for a project. Well sometimes I do...and if you held a glue gun to my head I guess you could force me to. 
 For the way I work I just find it so so natural, and necessary to have piles, and bags, and bowls, and bins and boxes of all my favorite supplies around. I like grabbing and placing and trying...stumbling upon happy accidents and apropos afterthoughts.  I believe that if you LOVE the supply, buy it! It will find it's ay into the perfect project at the perfect moment! 





So, that said, I went a little nuts the other day and ordered a mini motherload. Some pretty tiny wood veneer embellishments, crochet hearts, papers, stamps, ink, washi tape, and the like.


One of my favorite ways to organize and display my smaller supplies is in vintage chip and dip servers. And most have a lazy susan which is convenient and fun.

I linked up some of my favorite items from this haul, in case you'd like to pick them up for yourself! The doily stamp wasn't available on Two Peas...but you can find it at Michael's!



Ohhh and we hung some party lights in the studio! You know those outdoor globe style lights that always make an evening in the backyard a bit more charming? I LOVE the feel! Happy to work into the night under their festive glow.



And we got a few of my fave candles from Anthropologie...deeelish scents plus a warm flicker bring a lil magic to studio time. 

What are your favorite supplies to hoard? Have a crafty haul to share?! Link it in the comments!

XO Jenny


*the above twopeas links are affiliate links.


Read More ....
Categories:
Gallery Of Travel : http://galleryoftravel.blogspot.com. Powered by Blogger.