By Mary Lou Earnshaw at Citysearch November 12, 2009
At every UPS store or any store for that matter, unless it is against compay policy, the staff always has some type of discression as to whether or not they will accommodate a customer. I happened to call in to find out if my mail was available and I was told that the mail had already arrived but that I would have to wait three more hours for my letter. I told her that it was time sensitive and that I needed it but she refused to help me. She informed me that the contract stated that the mail comes in at 11:30 am and that they don't have to make it available until after 3:00 p.m. I totally understand that, but I also believe that she could have accommodated me in this instance. This same person has always given me a hard time whenever I am there and frankly I feel intimidated. I am going to cancel my box at this location. Could it be predjudism on her part? Could very well be. ...read more
By headcoach at Citysearch October 20, 2009
how can i take a my oder. ...read more
By JB Woods January 19, 2009
Fast to respond. Inteacts with yor ideas and requirements and will challange your assumptions and offer alternatives in support of your objectives. ...read more
Would you like your home to be a healthier, more sustainable place to live? You can improve your indoor environment in many ways. (Author's note: this particular article focuses on resources in Contra Costa County. You can probably find similar resources in your community.) Solid waste reduction and recycling - what to do with all that “stuff” • Remember the three R’s: “Reduce, Reuse, Recycle” in that order. • Try to purchase recycled goods in minimal packaging. Avoid disposable products. • Instead of buying water bottles individually, purchase a filtered container to keep in the refrigerator, or a filter attachment for your faucet. Water bottles pollute the environment more than almost any other litter (besides plastic bags.) The water quality from your tap is often as good or even better than many bottled waters. If it doesn’t say “ spring water” or “mineral water” or “well water” on the label chances are it’s just water from somebody else’s tap. • Compost. If you would like to start composting for your garden, the Contra Costa Solid Waste Authority website at www.wastediversion.org has great information for you. They sponsor regular composting workshops and provide high quality composting bins at a reduced cost for residents in their service area. They also have a great search tool for their database where you can find the nearest recycling resources for various items. It’s everything you ever wanted to know about recycling but didn’t know who to ask. • Take time to organize and recycle daily paperwork - mail, magazines and newspapers etc. If you are receiving catalogs that you never look at, contact the catalog company and ask to be removed from their mailing list. • Recycle your plastic bags. Most large grocery stores have collection bins for this. Better yet, bring your own bags to market. • Simplify your life. Do you really need all that stuff? Energy conservation - a great way to save money • Set your thermostat to 78° for cooling and 68° for heating. • Use Energy Star appliances which can use up to 75% less energy than older appliances. Visit P.G.&E; at www.pge.com/myhome/saveenergymoney/rebates/appliance for information on how to get rebates for new appliances, and how to implement other energy saving practices. • Wash full loads in the washing machine, using cold water whenever practical. Wash full loads in the dishwasher and use the “cool dry” setting. • Upgrade to solar energy! You may think the cost is high, but, actually, you save a lot of money in the long term. Plus, it’s better for the environment in many ways. Visit the www.gosolarcalifornia.ca.gov for information about monetary incentives in your area. • Replace your incandescent lights with compact fluorescent lightbulbs (CFLs) • Unplug unused electronics and appliances - they draw electricity even when they’re not turned on. Use power strips around the house that you can turn on and off. • Replace filters in your HVAC (heating, ventilation, and air conditioning) units on a regular basis. • Use insulation and weather stripping to cut down on energy loss in your home. Put an insulation jacket on your water heater. • Use motion sensor lights outdoors and in hallways. • Plant a shade tree outside sun-exposed windows, walls and air conditioning units, especially on the south and west facing sides of your home.. Water conservation - another great way to save money Inside: • Don’t wait for your water to get warm by letting it run down the drain. Catch the cold water by filling up the tea kettle, coffee pot, or water bottle. Use a bucket in the shower and water your plants or flush your toilet with the water that you save. • If you have a pre-1994 toilet it’s probably wasting water. Newer low flow toilets have been improved in recent years, so you can get the same efficiency using half the water. • Use aeriators on your faucets. Visit EBMUD at ebmud.com/environment/conservation-and-recycling/watersmart-center for more information, free water-saving devices and rebates on water saving appliances. Outside: • Install a water-efficient irrigation system. • Don’t overwater. According to Stopwaste.org, most gardeners use about 40% more water than they really need. Group plants by their water needs. Plant thirsty plants nearest the house, and create drier zones further away. Water early in the morning and mulch or use ground cover to protect plants from the heat and to prevent evaporation. • Lose your lawn. Replace it with drought tolerant native plants or even a vegetable garden. Visit www.stopwaste.org for information on “Bay-friendly” gardening practices. Pollution prevention for a cleaner more healthy environment • Purchase non-toxic cleaning supplies. Replace several similar items with one or two that do the same job. You can do many cleaning tasks with white vinegar and baking soda. The smell dissipates quickly, and besides, you’ll be glad to know you are not breathing poison! Visit www.webmd.com/health-ehome-9/green-cleaning for more information. • Dispose of hazardous waste properly. Cleansers and insecticides, paints, batteries, electronic devices and CFLs all contain hazardous materials. The Contra Costa County Household Hazardous Waste Program can help you find out how best to dispose of these things. The Central County Facility is located at 4797 Imhoff Place, Martinez. Visit their website at www.co.contra-costa.ca.us/depart/cd/recycle or call (800) 646-1431 for information about what to do with hazardous materials. • Take unwanted and expired medications to your local police department for disposal. Don’t throw them in the garbage or flush them down the toilet. These chemicals can harm wildlife and contaminate the water supply. • Avoid VOCs (volatile organic compounds) when purchasing paint products, furniture, flooring and carpets. Visit www.epa.gov/iaq/homes/index.html for more information on indoor air quality. • Avoid VOCs (volatile organic compounds) when purchasing paint products, furniture, flooring and carpets. Visit www.epa.gov/iaq/homes/index.html for more information on indoor air quality. Starting fresh If you are building a home from the ground up or doing a remodel there are lots of ways to do things more sustainably. Visit greenremodelforum.com for help with remodeling. Visit www.builditgreen.org and check their directory of Certified Green Building Professionals (CGBPs.) There are hundreds of ways to become more green. If it seems daunting don’t let yourself be overwhelmed or become discouraged. Do the easiest things first or focus on one particular area to get started. Just do a little at a time...it gets easier. Be careful–You may get hooked! ...read more
By Blue Heron Graphics November 01, 2012
A: To attract new customers and clients and to save time, money and avoid headaches! A good designer can help you to develop a professional look. S/he can help guide you through the process of developing your ideas by offering professional, objective insight into what can help or hurt your brand. She brings experience and creativity to the table, offering new ideas and ways to achieve your goals more economically. She abides by your branding guidelines so that you can maintain a consistent look across all your marketing materials. If you don’t have branding guidelines, a professional designer can help you develop them. Experienced graphic designers have a wide variety of skills and abilities including knowledge of art and design, branding and marketing. They should have good communication and research skills, intuition, creativity, as well as technical expertise in illustration, photo editing and page layout, typography, color theory, print technology, and web design. They should own up-to-date software and hardware, as well as a collection of fonts and the ability to find and purchase appropriate stock images at a reasonable price. Without the appropriate expertise you risk getting to the end of the design process and finding that the design doesn’t work, or it looks just like someone else’s, or it simply cannot be printed or posted in its current format. You may have to do a “fix,” or a “workaround” or even start over. A good designer goes to great lengths to maintain their reputation. This works in your favor in that the designer will produce her best work possible by communicating, getting things done right the first time, on time and making sure you are happy with the finished product. It is in her best interest to make you look good! She relies on you and her other clients for referrals, which are her best sources of new business. It’s nice to develop a long-term trusting relationship with a designer. If you need additional design services sometime in the future, you can return to the same designer who will understand you and your business and have all of your files, fonts and guidelines at hand, saving you time and money. Otherwise you can wind up “recreating the wheel” every time you start a new project, which can be very expensive in the long run. It may be tempting to utilize outsourcing, “crowdsourcing” or “design contests” online because they appear to be a bargain. These sites are peopled with the good, the bad and the ugly, just like the rest of the Internet. There may be some decent designers out there, but many are novices, or people who use the same designs over and over again, or even people who “lift” others’ designs with no regard to copyright. When dealing with designers overseas (or even out of state) you may have difficulty getting legal recourse if the work is not original and the legitimate owner wants to sue you for copyright infringement. Your Ukrainian designer who works for $10 an hour by this time will likely have disappeared into cyberspace. Most good designers will not participate in these kinds of schemes. They don’t need to. ...read more
By Blue Heron Graphics November 01, 2012
Here you'll find news, the latest on Stella¨ style and also ways to save on your purchase. I will also post Stella and Dot discounts, coupon codes, eventual Stella&Dot discounted items and promotions. To celebrate the new collection, I have started an online trunk show, It will be open until December 2010! To start, here is how to receive discounted $5.95 flat rate shipping on your Stella and Dot purchase. Just follow these simple steps: 1- Click "Shop" on this site (stelladot.com/TrendyJewelry) 2- Enter "Vera Meirelles" as your party hostess when prompted after adding any item to your bag. And "Search" 3- Click on 'Vera Meirelles' when it appears on the next screen, and 'Continue' 4- Add more goodies to your card, if you'd like. 5- Proceed to checkout and the low $5.95 shipping will be reflected during CHECKOUT. This is a great Stella&Dot deal, since regular shipping without a coupon starts at $6.95 and increases with the size your order. If you added over $50 to your cart, click on the 'Party Perks' link and find great jewelry at 25% off. Valid until 08/31/2010. You will also qualify for monthly specials so come back to check what "Party Perks" are offered! If you want to stay in the know and get updates on Stella&Dot Discounts and Promotions, just email HerJewelry@gmail.com and ask to be included in my newsletter. The jewelry is of great quality. Any piece is a statement on its own. Some of the jewelry is made at the same couture house as big fashion names: Lanvin, Prada, Dior and Jason Wu, but you only pay a fraction of the price. The materials are carefully selected to meet Stella&Dot quality standard: sterling silver, vermeil, freshwater pearls and Swarovski crystals. Everyone loves Stella & Dot, why not host a jewelry party and take advantage of free and discounted jewelry offered to hostesses. We can setup a online trunk show (also called e-party) if it's more convenient for you. Just drop me a note. Cheers, Adriana Find me on Facebook! Be a fan of www.Facebook.com/TrendyJewelry. Keywords: Stella & Dot, Stella and Dot, discount, coupon, necklaces, vintage jewelry, earrings, handmade jewelry, hand painted jewelry, silver earrings, Los Angeles LA, California, San Francisco Bay Area, New York, NY, Atlanta GA, New York NY, Jersey City, NJ, Dallas TX, Seattle WA, Birmingham AL, Charlotte NC, Kansas City KS, Nashville, Aspen Co, Denver CO, Trunk Show, Stylist, Charm, Charm Bracelet, Charm Necklace, Enamel Jewelry, Sterling, Gold, Silver, Vermeil, Coupon Code, Bib Necklace, Cuff, Mother's Day, Gifts, unique gifts, bridesmaids gifts, Holiday Gifts, Christmas Gifts, Sweet Sixteen Gifts, Graduation Gifts, Little Girls Gifts. ...read more
By Stella & Dot by Adriana Stylist (Trendy Jewelry) August 03, 2010
Graphic design covers a wide spectrum of design concepts. For this reason an individual who is not well-versed in this format of design will find it difficult to select the right graphic design software at first glance. These individuals will instead end up with a graphic design software package that ... ...read more
Home design projects can feel overwhelming. Part of the challenge is to keep track of each room, the timelines, as well as materials and paint that you will use in the rooms. Learn how to organize and track home design projects to make it all run smoothly. ...read more