Круглосуточная Работа В Форексе И Беттинге

First things first, thank you SO so very much for the outpouring of love and support on my last post! Your encouragement means more than you know and I&#;m beyond grateful to have such a wonderful support system. Who knows where this blogging journey will take me, but I have high hopes and big dreams, and with family and friends like you, I know anything is possible. So, from the bottom of my heart &#; thank you!

Now, who&#;s ready to talk decorating? It&#;s beginning to look at lot like Christmas around here (sing it with me now!), and today I&#;m sharing my progress in getting the living room festively fabulous! Ok, so let’s get real here &#; over the years, I may have had one or two meltdowns instigated by pesky spools of Christmas ribbon, and a few more serious altercations with tangled webs of twinkle lights than I care to admit. But over time, I’ve picked up a few great tips on decorating artificial trees, and today I can’t wait to share a few of them with you! So without further ado, here is my &#;woodsy traditional&#; Christmas tree, along with my best pointers for creating a designer-worthy display.

1. Set the scene and get into the holiday spirit.

I prefer to wait until after Thanksgiving to start my Christmas decorating, but on the flip side, I also want to enjoy my festive décor for as long as possible (especially with all the time and effort put into doing it)! This usually ends up with me rushing to get my tree up right after Thanksgiving, but all that rushing takes away from really enjoying the process. This year, I took a little more time by doing each part in increments (one day I pulled up the tree and all my decorations from the basement, then next day I put the tree together and fluffed it up, that weekend I did the ribbon, the next day I did the floral picks, and a couple days after that I added the ornaments).

But this isn’t to say that you haveto space it out as I did. What I’m trying to get at here is that this is what made the process most enjoyable for me. Whatever your plan of attack is to get your holiday decorating done, it’s really all about reveling in the moment. Whether you like doing things in short bursts like me, or an all-day marathon decorating session is totally up your ally, prioritize your enjoyment of the process above all else. 

 So put on your holiday tunes (check out the playlists I&#;m loving right now here, here, here and here) or a cute Christmas movie (I’m so into the cheesy Hallmark channel holiday movies this year!), pour yourself something hot (and possibly spiked, if you feel so inclined!), light your favorite seasonal candle, and allow yourself to fall in love with the season all over again.

2. Gather your supplies and keep them close at hand.

This decorative box has a regular place in my year-round décor, but it’s getting its own moment to shine this holiday season on my coffee table. Not only does the glamorous, glittery piece add to my holiday decor, but even more importantly, it’s acting as my decorating and gift-wrapping toolkit – hidden in plain sight! It keeps essentials like scissors, ornament hooks, tape, ribbon, pipe cleaners (more on those later) and extra batteries close at hand so I don’t have to run all over the house trying to find what I need as I’m in the middle of a decorating project.

Don’t forget to “shop your house” for pieces that may not necessarily be holiday-specific – in fact, they may be part of your everyday décor through all seasons – but you just might find a piece or two that deserves a &#;promotion&#; during the holiday season!

3. Fluff, fluff and fluff some more, and if that doesn’t work, it’s garland to the rescue.

This year, I gave our tree a lot of extra attention by fluffing and fanning every inch I could – I spent at least 40 minutes on this step alone, really taking my time and enjoying a Hallmark Christmas movie in the background. After all that attention and a movie date too, I guess you could say things are starting to get pretty serious between me and Mr. Tree! Ha!

With my past boyfriends trees I’ve always relied heavily on extra garland to fill out the tree, especially with apartment-sized trees (which tend to be very sparse!). [Ok, time for this boyfriend analogy to end because my mind is going all sorts of interesting places now&#;] This year the extra attention to fluffing each and every sprig on every branch really did the trick, and I found that I didn’t need any filler garland at all! [Aaaand it’s still getting funnier. Is it just me? Ok. Really, we’re done now. ]

If you do want to fill out a sparse-looking tree, I’ve found that garland is most easily blendable when placed deep into the tree. It doesn’t have to be a perfect match to the tree, and in fact, you can even use mismatched strands of inexpensive filler garland collected over the years. Last year I used this wired branch garland and this non-wired branchless garland on the same tree. As long as it’s placed deep enough inside the branches, you won’t notice variations in texture and color, especially once you’ve added the next layers of ribbon, florals and ornaments!

4. Save time and frustration with a pre-lit tree.

Last year we purchased a new pre-lit tree and I’ll never go back. Convenience is king! Although it limits your ability to switch up the style and color of your lights, string lights are expensive to replace and it’s much more affordable to update the look of your tree from year to year with other elements like ribbon and ornaments. If you’re looking to replace your current tree in the near future, I highly recommend going with a pre-lit tree!

5. Experiment with various methods for decorating with ribbon.

There are so many different techniques for tying ribbon on a tree, and yet in my experience this can be the most frustrating step! If you feel the same, why not try it a different way this year? And if not – if you’re a calm, cool and collected Christmas Decorator Extraordinaire who could never possibly be reduced to tears, curse words, and gulping down an entire bottle of Pinot Grigio after a minute struggle with a spool of ribbon – then I salute you! But even you, Miss Christmas Decorator Extraordinaire, might feel like mixing up your decorating technique this year &#; and if so, this tip is for you too!

This year I used what I call the “horizontal pinch” method for the first time, and not only was it easy, I really love the simple and traditional look! I just used the branches on my tree to create the “pinches” rather than using pipe cleaners. Another variation of this method is the pinch/tuck method which can also be done vertically or on an angle. In past years I&#;ve also used the “bundling” method which not only yields beautiful results but is also very simple to do!

If you’re looking for more simple, easy ways to add ribbon to your tree, try one of these fool-proof yet beautiful methods: &#;cut loops,&#; &#;straight streamers,&#; &#;curly streamers&#; or &#;tied bows&#;!

For the Christmas Decorator Extraordinaire, try this fancy “criss-cross” method or experiment with these beautiful “layered waves”!

6. Look for wired ribbon no less than inches wide.

For this year’s tree, I alternated one row of tartan inch wide ribbon with two rows of metallic burlap inch ribbon. I preferred having two rows of the wider ribbon between each row of skinnier ribbon because it had much more of a visual impact. Although the inch-wide ribbon looks SO wide on the roll, you can see that all the twisting, turning, tucking and manipulating of the ribbon really takes its toll on the visual impact of the ribbon. Using a wired ribbon allows you to control this a bit better, however depending on your ribbon technique you may want to experiment with non-wired ribbon.

I don’t recommend using ribbon less than inches wide unless you’re alternating with a wider ribbon, as I did here. It would be such a shame to put all that effort into winding the ribbon on your tree only for it to practically disappear between the branches if it’s much too narrow of a ribbon!

7. Add depth and dimension with floral picks.

I just LOVE the way floral picks add texture and color without taking away from the ornaments – it’s almost like they create a backdrop for your ornaments to take centerstage. In fact, I think florals are often the most underused element in decorating Christmas trees! These can be picked up very inexpensively – most of mine are either from the Dollar Tree or were purchased in a large bundle from Hobby Lobby and then cut into smaller pieces for maximum effect.

This year I was craving lots of contrast against the dark green of my tree, so I used large white poinsettias and magnolias, clusters of holly berries, pale silvery-green lamb’s ear stems, and a few small pinecone sprays.

These are wonderful items to have in your decorating arsenal and they come in handy for tablescapes, tucked into a vase, threaded into a garland or wreath, or even tied into the ribbon of wrapped gifts. So much delicious texture!

Speaking of texture, this year I picked up a &#;tree collar&#; from Michael&#;s as an alternative to the traditional tree skirt. I just love the clean lines and the added texture it brings to my tree this year!

8. Place ornaments deep into the tree for a layered look and (most importantly!) increased sparkle.

One of the best tips I&#;ve ever learned when it comes to putting on ornaments is to take small glittery or glass reflective ball ornaments and stick them deep into the tree. Even if they can&#;t be seen at every angle, they reflect the lights back out to the front of the tree and make your tree look fuller. 

9. Mix, match and forgo certain ornaments, ribbons and filler each year.

This year I pulled out my basic white, cream and champagne colored ornaments for the tree and used the rest of my ornaments elsewhere throughout the house – on wreaths, garland, as vase filler, etc. The woodsy elements came in with these glitter balls, snowy orbs, pears, pomegranates and antlers.

And of course, we simply couldn&#;t call this a woodsy tree without this custom ornament front and center! We purchased this from an Etsy vendor for our first Christmas in this home and dubbed the house &#;Le Chateau&#; because of it&#;s French-inspired &#;Neo-Mansard&#; roofline (more to come on that when we share our progress and plans for the exterior of the house!) I also think this is such a sweet holiday gift for anyone you have on your list who is celebrating their first Christmas in their home!

If you like to switch up the look of your home’s holiday look each year, remember that not every piece of Christmas décor has to be used every year. Sometimes taking a break from a certain color, pattern or piece for one season can make you see it in a whole new way when you pull it out the next year! Changing up your decor from season to season doesn&#;t always have mean buying more &#; for me, it&#;s actually about using less!

Now that the tree is decorated, I&#;m upping the cozy factor in this room with extra throw pillows and furry blankets. This is the perfect little corner to sit with a cup of something hot and enjoy the glowing lights of the tree through the rest of the season. 

And that&#;s all for now, friends! Thanks for stopping by. Hope you&#;re enjoying the holiday season and taking time to celebrate with family, friends, laughter and love!

Road trip time

Cinque Terre in Italy has been on Goblinettes list for a long time. Five colorfull villages on the north-east coast of Italy were waiting to be discovered. We could get there from Slovenia in one day,but we decided on driving shorter distances every day and slowly exploring Italy.

The views were stunning.

Getting around the five villages

Walk trough part of the five villages

Coastal path trough Cinque Terre can be theoretically walked in a few hours. It is 12 km long. Sadly, some parts are closed for renovation. We were looking forward to views from the famous Path of love from Riomaggiore to Manarola, but it is due to open in Repairs are going on from

See villages from the sea

Boat lines. You can combine walking, boats and train on the same trip.

Boat trips are very popular. During the trip we saw somea0very crowded ones and were happy we were not on any of them. You can stop in every village or chose a more direct line.

Ride the train

You can get a Cinque Terre train card (entrance for walking paths included) or pay fora0 train tickets while you go. Note that in the beggining ob May there were long lines for the train ticket machines.a0 With the train card you could go of the train in every coastal village, look around, maybe get a snack or a drink and return to the station. Ideally. This might work before the tourist season starts. We walked around Riomaggiore and spent some time on the beach in Monterosso al Mare. Trains were packed and getting of and back on was an adventure by itself.

Lines for and from the Cinque Terre train are epic even before the season really starts.

Cinque Terre train ride with the baby

Carriers, not strollers

Lil&#;Goblin was carried around in his Onya carrier. That made it a lot easier to get around. We also saw families with baby prams on the train.a0 It looked a lot of work. Dad would carry the luggage of the train, mum the toddler and his big brother was trying to get the empty pram of the train. Our goblin pack was three goblins only, baby included, so we left the stroller at home.

We waited a bit for the crowd to leave the platform and where back early enough to wait for next boarding in shade of the tunnel. We soon learned that when boarding shouting &#;bimbi&#; (child in Italian) helps. Most people give way to mums with adorable little babies, furthermore they ride for free until they are 4 years old.

Parco giochi/playgrounds

There are children playgrounds in every village and small children running around in small village squares.a0 Lil&#;Goblin was to small to join them. He was content with eating the sand on the Monterosso beach and smiling to everyone on the train.

Sun, sea and wide selection of towels in Monterosso. What more could a goblin want?

Baby on board

We packed way to much clothes for this tip. Most was baby size. Beginning of May in Italy is usually warm and dry. We did pack our bathing suits, but it was still a bit too chilly for our tastes. Lil&#;Goblin was a perfect passenger. He ate, played and sleept most of the time on the road.

We explored Italian baby changing facilities on rest areas on the highway. We heard Italians like babies. They really do. One stop even provided free test nappies. When we entered restaurants someone would run to us and bring baby chair. In hotel, all stuff smiled at him and ladies were mesmerized by his cuteness. If you want to be treated like a star in Italy, bring a baby.

Italian food and paying for &#;servizio&#;

As budget travelers, we did do some cooking. Local asparagus with eggs and prosciutto was one of our quick dinners. We mixed Airbnbs with kitchens with hotel rooms. Most cafes in Italy offer small sandwiches or &#;dolce&#; &#; something sweet like a croissant, so we didn&#;t have to starve on national holidays. Our first Airbnb host sent us to Esselunga store to get food. They had everything and more, hence go only when you have time to spare.

Restaurants in Italy like to charge extra for service, bread or just for using the table. We thought we learned to avoid extra charges on our numerous trips to Italy, but locals were smarter again. Since asparagus lasagna and pasta were heavenly good, we happily paid for all extra small additions on the bill, even trough we had no idea what they were.

Food in Cinque Terre is a bit over priced while it looked delicious. Long lines were less appealing. Rest stops on highway or gourmet restaurants, food was delicious everywhere.

Italy in May

We loved Cinque Terre national park. Next time we will do more hiking and less train rides. It is also less busy during the week and before the summer holidays start. Booking rooms well in advance is a good idea, since budget ones sell out soon. We mixed some Airbnb apartments with hotel rooms we found on eunic-brussels.eu In La Specia we stayed in a tattoo studio turned into comfy stylish apartment, but that is another long story.

Cique Terre UPDATE

You can buy train passes online since summer If you decide to use the page, note that &#;guys&#; is their translation for &#;youth&#; &#; children from 4 to We both our tickets in a short line before going in and had to buy another since we changed our plans during the day. The lines on the train station in one of the coastal cities was epic. Daily pass bought online would give as more than an hour extra time to enjoy the scenery.

Is Via&#;dell Amore Open?

Nope. Only a few meters. Might be in 🙁

Where can you sleep in Cinque Terre?

More about Italy:

Since goblins love to travel, but usually do it on a budget, we use Airbnb. By using this link to subscribe, you get discount on your first trip, and we get one on our next. If you are not into Airbnb, here is a 10% percent discount on your next booking. Travel as much as you can.

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I’ve been to Hong Kong before. Okay, I’ve been in the Hong Kong airport for a connection to an onward flight elsewhere in Asia. Unfortunately, I think this is the case for quite a few Americans. Lately, I’ve been watching Hong Kong from afar. It’s burgeoning art and music scenes, world-class shopping and luxe hotel offerings are making Hong Kong a place for more than just business and layovers. So, I decided, even if for only a couple of days, I needed to check it out for myself.

The Kerry Brand

Hong Kong has no shortage of great hotels. If you’ve been a reader of this site for a while, you know that I have a strong interest in hotels/lodgings that step outside of the traditional definition of “luxury”. As I combed through the 1, plus hotel offerings in Hong Kong, I kept going back to the brand-new Kerry Hotel Hong Kong . The Kerry Hotel Hong Kong is one of three hotels in the new, five-star Kerry brand, which is part of the Shangri-La family. The Kerry brand holds the same standards of luxury as Shangri-La, it’s just taking a different approach, and it’s brilliant. It’s thoughtful. It’s innovative. It’s current.

A couple of months ago, I was with some travel professionals who, when I suggested they use Instagram for their business, responded that that wasn’t their target market. Although “that market” wasn’t defined, I knew exactly what market they were referring to. It’s the market that makes up 25% of the U.S. population, that travels significantly more than generations before them and makes up 21% of consumer discretionary purchases (to the tune of three trillion dollars!).  And that’s just in the U.S. The Kerry brand has clearly been paying attention to this emerging market. The ones looking for authentic experiences, varying food options, a more casual and less restrictive luxury…and they are ready.

Kerry Hotel Hong Kong

Kerry Hotel Hong Kong, located in the Kowloon cultural district, is the city’s first “urban resort”. Despite being set in the concrete jungle of Hong Kong, guests are privy to green open spaces, an infinity pool, spa, state of the art gym and unlimited dining options that even includes a Michelin star.

From the outside, the Kerry looks unassuming; a modern building amongst modern buildings.

The inside is another story. Designed by Andre Fu, currently one of the most in-demand architects in the world and known for his “east meets west” aesthetic, it is, simply put, elegant. Neutral colors are accented by “pops” of flowers, art and sculptures, floor to ceiling windows give way to a flood of natural light and it is all connected by leading lines that delicately connect the large spaces, creating harmony throughout.

Oh, and it smells really good.

Rooms

There are rooms at the Kerry Hotel Hong Kong and 60% of them have bay views. All rooms are “Smart Rooms”- everything is controlled by remote, guests have access to an e-concierge, and, my favorite, each room comes with a smart phone for guests to use during their stay.

In theory, some of the details of the room are simple. In reality, they add a lot. For example, a master light switch by the bed and cell phone charger chords (for multiple phone types) in the alarm clock.

The rooms are large and, from what I understand, much larger than what you typically find in Hong Kong. The elegance of the main areas of the hotel carries through to the rooms with soothing neutral colors and mixed textures that create beauty while still allowing the views of Victoria Harbour and the city to be the focal point.

There is plenty of storage, a nice little nook with a mirror to freshen up and a sitting area.

The bathroom is large, has a separate tub and shower and…FRONT LIGHTING. I can always tell when a woman was somehow involved in the design of a hotel bathroom.

Dining

Food is a big deal in Hong Kong and the Kerry has no shortage of dining options to choose from. Each is unique in not only their offerings, but their design and vibe. All have outdoor seating options and unbeatable views.

Big Bay Café-  The all-day dining option that features a comprehensive breakfast buffet with everything you could imagine and then some. Sunday brunch is quite popular with families.

Hung Tong&#; A modern Cantonese restaurant open for lunch and dinner. Unfortunately, I did not dine here, but walked through and loved the retro décor and bay views.

Dockyard&#; Dockyard is a gourmet food hall featuring nine restaurants offering selections from around the world. One even has a Michelin star. And, they have a pretty cool concept: download the app, choose your dish, and it’s delivered straight to your table.

Bong&#; An Italian and premium steak restaurant open for lunch and dinner.

Lobby Bar&#; One of my favorites. They have an interesting wine list, variety of food options for both lunch and dinner, and pastries and coffee for breakfast. This is a wonderful place to explore traditional Hong Kong street food.

Red Sugar&#; Fantastic cocktail bar on the 8th floor. It’s even become a bit of a local hangout with a cool, sexy vibe and an outdoor deck that should be the standard for outdoor decks. It was rainy and windy for me, so I enjoyed my delicious cocktail inside, but still had a fantastic view.

Amenities 

Kerry Sports Base Camp-The gym at the Kerry rivals any premium brand name gym. It’s large, it has at least two of everything you would need, and it has what must be the best view in the city. It’s nice enough that they could offer a membership program. In fact, they do. There is a limited number of gym memberships available for locals, which is a concept that will be replicated at all Kerry Hotels.

Kafnu&#; Kafnu is a very cool co-working space. Technically, they lease space from the Kerry, but Kerry hotel guests get special deals at Kafnu and Kafnu members get special benefits from the Kerry. 

Conference and Event Space&#; The hotel houses the city’s largest pillar-less grand ballroom, with a lovely foyer that looks out over Victoria Harbour. The enormous ballroom can accommodate a banquet of over 1, Like, this place is huge. I was a wedding and event planner in a past life and I was instantly wowed when I walked into this space.

Club Lounge- Club lounges are a “thing” in some of the larger cities in Asia and they are quite the treat. Those who use them, love them. You are typically granted access in two ways: (1)if you are a member of the hotel group’s award program (in this instance, Shangri-La’s Golden Circle) and have some status with them or, (2) if you book a “club&#; room. The Kerry’s club lounge offers an a la carte and buffet breakfast, afternoon tea and evening cocktails and canapes, all complimentary.

Spa&#; The spa offers a variety of massages, facials and body treatments.

Complimentary mini bar&#; That’s right!

Unfortunately, I had a lot of rain and wind during my short time in Hong Kong, so I wasn’t able to do a majority of the things I had planned while there. Fortunately, while I technically could have found some indoor activities, I was quite happy being indoors at the Kerry. I can’t imagine spending that time anywhere else. And, when I return to explore more of Hong Kong, I know exactly where I’ll be staying.

You can find out more about Kerry Hotel Hong Kong here.

To explore more, check out Instagram story highlights here.

• With over rooms, the hotel is big, but it never felt like it
• Arriving/leaving early, I HIGHLY recommend using the Kerry&#;s car service. It&#;s easy, comfortable and has Wi-Fi
• Book a club room and enjoy the amenities that comes with it
• The street food in the lobby restaurant is a great place to start your Hong Kong foodie tour
• The hotel offers a shuttle that takes you to the sight seeing area of Hong Kong