Sunday, August 9, 2009

Decorating for the Spacey Loving Teen

If you have a teen who is fascinated with the planets and stars, how do you create a room that appeals to his love of the heavens? Creating a room that appeals to your teens can be accomplished with as little as a gallon of paint, a few stencils and a few packs of glow in the dark stars. Let's see how.First in order to achieve that brilliant space theme you should find a reliable source for space themed room decorations. I suggest The Space Store. The Space Store is an online merchant store that specializes in selling space items for the bedroom and bathroom. Of course there are several other online merchants to choose from. Once you've chosen your supplier, now make a plan of how you will decorate his room. Having a basic list of items that you will need is a great start.
Comforter Set-Having a space and planet themed comforter set will make your teen feel as though he is sleeping in space every night. Matching curtains is encouraged though if you cannot find matching curtains, then simple black or silver curtains will do fine.
Paint-Depending on the size of your teen's room, you could probably get by on one or two gallons of black paint. Yes! Black paint. It is a very bold color but if properly accented with silver or grey it will create a stunning backdrop for this new intergalactic room. You will also need smaller containers of silver paint. The silver is for the trim and the stars. You may also opt to purchase several smaller paints to paint details in the planets (ex. Saturn, Jupiter, Mars)
Planetary Stencils-These are for stenciling the walls. Once the walls are painted in black and silver, carefully stencil the cylindrical shapes of the planets on the walls. It is a good idea to purchase an astronomy magazine and find a picture of our galaxy (The Milky Way Galaxy) and paint it in the center of one of the walls and another mural of planets on the other. After you are done with the wall painting and picture painting, tape or glue the glow in the dark stars on the ceiling and all over the room. No exact pattern is necessary unless you are familiar with star maps and constellations. Then you can map out the solar system on your teen's walls.
The object is apparent. To achieve the space theme that will leave your teen awe-struck. With a little advanced preparation, creativity, imagination, and hard work, you can achieve this decorating goal

Decorating for the Teenage Girl

This may be one of the hardest tasks to perform. The teens style and likes and dislikes changes frequently. One month she could like the hottest boy pop band and the next she hates them. Decorating a teen's room to the point that she is happy with it is difficult indeed. But here are a few ideas to help you along in the task.First, remember that your daughter is a part of you. She will have some of the same tendencies that you once had as a tender teenage girl. So stop for a minute and think back to when you where a teen. Think of some of the things that you liked and disliked. It may surprise you that she may very well like some of the same things as you.
Second, make a list of the items and ideas that you know she loves. For example, your daughter has always loved going to the beach because she enjoys the beach scene and all the animals that are associated with the beach. And you know she will never object to a creatively decorated room with a theme that she loves. So now, you have your basis for beginning your project.

Comforter Sets
Keep these to solid colors. Sometimes young women can switch from one style to another. So get a comforter set that is in her favorite color and let that be the focal point of the room. Everything else should flow around the bedding. The reason for this is a majority of teen girls spend numerous hours sitting on or laying in bed. Make this (the bed) be the piece that the room revolves around.

Walls and Curtains
Make sure you paint the walls with light and happy colors. Taking into mind the teenage girl's emotional makeup, painting the room with light cheerful colors promotes good emotional health. As opposed to darker colors which can depress. Hang curtains or blinds that accent the main focal piece of the room. Whatever color you chose for the comforter and bedding set, accent it with the curtains and/or blinds.

Accessories
No room is complete without bedroom accessories. These include book cases, TV stands, electronics, etc. Leave this part up to her. She should feel as though she had some say in the designing of the room. The hard part is over. The key to decorating a room that your teen girl will love lies in understanding who she is and acting on that knowledge.

New Young Girl, Boy Bedroom

Is your modern young boy girl bedrooms an inviting oasis of relaxation? Or does it look more like a storage unit, a veritable wasteland of clutter, dirty clothes, dirty dishes and kid's toys.

If your room is the latter and you're finding it increasingly more difficult to find the bed when it's time for bed, you may want to consider giving your bedroom a well-deserved makeover.With just a few changes, some hard decision making and some tough love, you can transform you bedroom into everything you ever dreamed it should be. And it's easier than you think.

Start with the basic

First, your bedroom is not a storage facility. If things in the room do not contribute to relaxation, enhance the beauty, add space or provide some entertainment, get rid of it. Pack it up, move it to another room or put it in the garage or trash. If you like to watch a little television before calling it a night, consider getting an armoire to hide it away when it's not in use.

If you're an avid reader, make sure your nightstands have a drawer so you can put your book or magazine away, along with your glasses. If you love the latest fashions, add more dressers, wardrobes and a closet organizer to the room. Finally, get a hamper for the dirty clothes so you're not tempted to leave them wherever they fall. As they say, "A place for everything, and everything in its place."

Add furniture to the mix

Now that your room is clear of clutter, it's time to add beauty and charm to the space. Start by looking at your furnishings. Do they have the same style or at least complement one another? Are there pieces that should be moved out to make way for others? Does the style of your furniture match your tastes.

Arranging Young Boy,Girl Bedroom

Have you ever rearranged your room and six months later had to rearrange it again? It is not surprise if you are one of those types of people who like change every so often. It is in our makeup as humans to desire change in our surrounding environment as well as our world as a whole. There’s not much we can do about the world as a whole, but there is something that we can do regarding a smart part of that world, namely our home. And more specifically, our bedrooms.
Our bedrooms are neglected, we must admit, and occasionally we need to change the way it looks, feels, smells, the whole works! But what if you don’t have the time or the money to devote to redo your bedroom? Well, here are some helpful ideas to help you redecorate your bedroom quickly and affordably.

Start With a Fresh Coat of Paint

Changing the colors of your bedroom walls really makes a difference. Especially if you change from a dull white to vibrant splashes of yellows and/or oranges. Painting the walls a different color can very well change the whole mood of the room as well. Your room will breathe and seem more spacious with warmer brighter colors.

Change the Linens and Curtain Sets

Changing the linens is another way to quickly change the look of your room. If your comforter set is too plain, change it to a more vibrant and bold look. There are many online merchants that sell discount comforter sets that include the comforter,the fitted sheets the top sheet and skirts. These are called beds.-in-a-bag and they are very cost effective for the prudent shopper. Changing the comforter sets can give you the renewed sense of pride in your bedroom. If your bed is the focal point of your room, then choosing the right comforter set is imperative!

Young Boy Girl Bedroom Furniture

The lively colors that are characteristic of our Young Boy Girl Bedroom furniture are refreshing and stimulating for your Young Boy Girl Bedroom development. Your boy will appreciate the loft beds or the captain’s bed in an adventurous decor where games are the order of the day. Your princess will see her fairy-tale dreams come true with an enchanting sleigh bed.

Our catalog of children’s furniture offers everything a child could desire to feel at home. Whether they prefer a captain’s bed, loft beds with ladder to reach the upper bed, a sleigh bed or a bed equipped with a bookcase headboard, you’re sure to find the furniture that corresponds to their fondest wishes.

Our wide range of children’s furniture allows you to arrange organizers, such as chests of drawers, a chest or hutch, night tables, spacious storage units offering shelves and drawers, a computer desk connected to the bed post, as well as a number of accessories.

The complete range of finishes and styles we offer will suit the decor of all children’s bedrooms. Our furniture is available in oak, maple or pine finishes, as well as white, blue, yellow and cream. Our sets of furniture reflect a full pallet of styles, from simple Shaker or rustic country, to the temptations of modern, classic, or hand-painted.

All our children’s bedroom furniture is sturdy. Furniture and workmanship are guaranteed for 5 years. Spared the march of fashion and time, your furniture from SouthShore Industries will contribute to brightening the childhood of your youth and remain popular with them until their teen years.

Young Boy Girl Bedroom Furniture

The lively colors that are characteristic of our Young Boy Girl Bedroom furniture are refreshing and stimulating for your Young Boy Girl Bedroom development. Your boy will appreciate the loft beds or the captain’s bed in an adventurous decor where games are the order of the day. Your princess will see her fairy-tale dreams come true with an enchanting sleigh bed.

Our catalog of children’s furniture offers everything a child could desire to feel at home. Whether they prefer a captain’s bed, loft beds with ladder to reach the upper bed, a sleigh bed or a bed equipped with a bookcase headboard, you’re sure to find the furniture that corresponds to their fondest wishes.

Our wide range of children’s furniture allows you to arrange organizers, such as chests of drawers, a chest or hutch, night tables, spacious storage units offering shelves and drawers, a computer desk connected to the bed post, as well as a number of accessories.

The complete range of finishes and styles we offer will suit the decor of all children’s bedrooms. Our furniture is available in oak, maple or pine finishes, as well as white, blue, yellow and cream. Our sets of furniture reflect a full pallet of styles, from simple Shaker or rustic country, to the temptations of modern, classic, or hand-painted.

All our children’s bedroom furniture is sturdy. Furniture and workmanship are guaranteed for 5 years. Spared the march of fashion and time, your furniture from SouthShore Industries will contribute to brightening the childhood of your youth and remain popular with them until their teen years.

Young Boy Girl Room Window Style

The family had lived in the rundown rental house for almost three years when someone first saw a child's face in the Young Boy Girl Room Window.A little girl, pale, with dark eyes, lifted a dirty blanket above the broken glass and peered out, one neighbor remembered.


Everyone knew a woman lived in the house with her boyfriend and two adult sons. But they had never seen a child there, had never noticed anyone playing in the overgrown yard.The girl looked young, 5 or 6, and thin. Too thin. Her cheeks seemed sunken; her eyes were lost.

The child stared into the square of sunlight, then slipped away.

Months went by. The face never reappeared.Just before noon on July 13, 2005, a Plant City police car pulled up outside that shattered window. Two officers went into the house — and one stumbled back out.

Clutching his stomach, the rookie retched in the weeds.

Plant City Detective Mark Holste had been on the force for 18 years when he and his young partner were sent to the house on Old Sydney Road to stand by during a child abuse investigation. Someone had finally called the police.They found a car parked outside. The driver's door was open and a woman was slumped over in her seat, sobbing. She was an investigator for the Florida Department of Children and Families.

"Unbelievable," she told Holste. "The worst I've ever seen."

The police officers walked through the front door, into a cramped living room."I've been in rooms with bodies rotting there for a week and it never stunk that bad," Holste said later. "There's just no way to describe it. Urine and feces — dog, cat and human excrement — smeared on the walls, mashed into the carpet. Everything dank and rotting."

Tattered curtains, yellow with cigarette smoke, dangling from bent metal rods. Cardboard and old comforters stuffed into broken, grimy windows. Trash blanketing the stained couch, the sticky counters.The floor, walls, even the ceiling seemed to sway beneath legions of scuttling roaches.

"It sounded like you were walking on eggshells. You couldn't take a step without crunching German cockroaches," the detective said. "They were in the lights, in the furniture. Even inside the freezer. The freezer!"While Holste looked around, a stout woman in a faded housecoat demanded to know what was going on. Yes, she lived there. Yes, those were her two sons in the living room. Her daughter? Well, yes, she had a daughter . . .

The detective strode past her, down a narrow hall. He turned the handle on a door, which opened into a space the size of a walk-in closet. He squinted in the dark.

Turn Your Bedroom into a Football Shrine

Everybody's got one in the family. That one family member who doesn't just love football, they practically worship it. They've got their favorite NFL team, and they follow it religiously. They know every player's name, number, position and stats. They're glued to the TV every time a game comes on, and they go to great efforts to hit all the home and road games they can. They live for the Super Bowl.
No matter who your football fanatic is – son, daughter or spouse – you can help them display their team spirit by creating an NFL football theme bedroom.First Down: the walls
You have a number of options with the walls. You can paint them the colors of your fan's favorite team and add a team border. Consider using NFL team logo wallpaper on all walls or just on one. If you were feeling particularly artistic, you could even paint a football mural on one wall.
Another option is to utilize sports memorabilia in your decorating. You hang a team jersey as the centerpiece and add game tickets, pennants, autographs and pictures around it. For creative flair with less work, consider a poster collage featuring your favorite players. The options are really limitless.

Second Down: the bed

In bedrooms, the bed is, obviously, the centerpiece. Fortunately, it's pretty easy to find NFL bedding in all sizes. You can find a wide array of NFL bedding available, which makes it easy to decorate no matter which team your football fan is rooting for. Spruce up the bed more by adding football pillows. If you really want to get creative, use goal posts for the headboard.

Third Down: accessories
Adding accessories doesn't have to be daunting. You can find NFL logo rugs or football rugs for the floor, or football lamps, picture frames or player posters. If there's a bathroom, you can even decorate there by adding an NFL team logo shower curtain and trash can.

Touchdown: Give your family fanatic a fun football room
Football is one of the most popular sports in America. Help your family fans show their team spirit by giving their bedroom an NFL facelift.

Decorating a Boys Room with Sports Stuff

It is a known fact that boys love active sports. A majority of young boys are into soccer, basketball or baseball. If your son is one of these boys that love sports and everything that has to do with sports then maybe a sports themed room is a great idea for him. Where can you start? It is a good idea to settle on one particular sport (you know the one that he lives for) and go with that. Here are a few ideas of the most popular sports.Soccer
This sport is growing in popularity and has been for a while now. Boys now have soccer heroes to look up to and admire. Designing a soccer room is quite simple. First, you start by simply changing all of his bedding. You need not change his bed completely unless you want to purchase a soccer themed bed. Go to a linen supply store and search for soccer related bed linens and accessories for the room. Since this is a popular sport, it will be easy. After purchasing your linens, buy a couple of soccer balls, get them inflated and then hang them from the ceiling. Some parents prefer to hang them over the bed or over the study desk. After the soccer bags are hung from the ceiling, simply hang little soccer knick knacks on the walls to remind him of his favorite sport. For instance, a whistle, an old uniform, or a loose net. These are simple little changes that can make a big difference in your little boy's room.

Basketball
Much like the above, follow the same steps for changing the linens and hanging sports related objects. But for a basketball theme, you can go the extra mile and put in a "door hoop", a small basketball hoop that connects to the back of your son's door. You can find these in your local department stores in the toy section. If it is within your budget, you can search for a jersey of your son's favorite basketball player on the Internet and stretch that across a wall. Preferably the wall opposite his bed. Your son will enjoy his room time and time again.

Baseball
This themed room can too be redecorated following the similar steps above, but to give it a personal touch you can get a wall size poster of your son's favorite ballpark, ex: Yankee Stadium, and stretch it across the long wall opposite his bed. Also, getting items such as a baseball glove, bat and ball and securing them to the walls also adds a personal touch to your boy's room.
As with all decorating, it's more effective when you add your own personal touch it. Your son will be thrilled to see that you touch such personal interest in him and his interests! However you decorate your boy's room, remember to add personality to it and it will be a success.

Decorating a Girls Room

Your little girl love flowers! So why not surround your little girl with the things that she loves the most. Most little girls like flowers of all sorts, but some have one particular flower that they love the most. When planning a redecorating project for your girl's room, this is a grand idea.Bedding
Flower designs are easy to come by. There are numerous bedding designs that you can choose from. A variation is good. Say for instance, your daughter loves carnations and daisies. Purchase daisy decorated bedding and carnation designed items for accents. Accent pillows, curtains, throws, anything that can serve as an accent, choose this for your daughter's secondary favorite flower.

Painting
When you've picked out a particular flower design for the bedding and accents, then pick out your paint color. Pink or yellow is a good choice for this will bring out the colors on your bedding. Paint the walls either pink or yellow and add wallpaper border or stencils to it to liven up the walls a bit.

Décor
Now this is where you can go wild. Little girls tend to like a lot of stuff in their rooms. Go to the home décor section of your local department store and search out flower themed items for your girl's room. Girls love pillows and blankets and accent rugs. As the child gets older she will be spending lots more time in her room, so designing it with her tastes in mind is great. When purchasing pillows, think big, fluffy, soft and fuzzy pillows. And almost all the time, girls will prefer either pink or purple. A couple of bean bag chairs are an excellent idea for adding style to your daughter's room.

Curtains and Blinds
In order to keep from making her room too overwhelming with flowers, make it a point to keep the curtains a solid color. Sheer or semi sheer curtains are best for the girl's room because this allows the right amount of light to come in. But sheer curtains should be combined with window blinds. White or off-white blinds will do just fine.

Mirrors
Little girls love checking themselves out and making sure they look good. Place a mirror in the area that she spends most of her time.
Designing girl's bedroom could be fairly easy if you know what your daughter likes. And once you have a list of what she likes, start decorating. She will love the new room and will be anxious to invite her friends over to play in it.

Decorating Your Little Girls Room

More girls these days desire to be little princesses. The commercials are numerous and the sale at the local bedding store is tempting. Creating the perfect princess room is easier than it may seem. Although I say it is easy, it does take time and effort.Planning
As with any project, extensive planning is needed if you are going to pull off any project. Planning on colors, decorations, furnishings, and bedding is imperative to the success of your project from start to finish.

Colors
A princess room is going to be majority pink. Pink is associated with pretty little princesses and this too will go well with your little girl's room. Plan on pink and shades of pink for this room. Pink is a soft and pleasant color and it appeals to the soft and feminine nature of young girls.

Decorations
This is where your imagination comes in. Think of anything that is fairy tale related. Think of an enchanted castle where the princess resides. And it doesn't necessarily have to be about fairy tales. Your little girl is a princess in your eyes and you can create the room according to how you see her. Create a new style of princess. One that has flowers and animals and treasures. Decorating your little girl's princess room will be easy when you decorate it according to how you see her. Some items that are great for a beautiful princess room are accent pillows, throws, stuffed animals, flowers, mirrors and more.

Furnishings
Replace your daughter's old furniture (ex: chest drawers, night stands, desks) with unfinished furniture. Prime the furniture with a decent primer and paint it pink as well. You could alternate the pink and the white, whatever your tastes prefer. This will give your princess' room a custom and more personal feel to it. A simple chest drawer, night stand, book case and desk will be sufficed for the room. Depending on size, you can pick and choose which pieces to include.

Bedding
The bedding will provide the finishing touches on this princess room project. Choosing the right bedding is also imperative to the livelihood of this room. Try to choose one with a similar theme. There will be lots to choose from since the princess theme is a popular choice for most little girls. Also keep comfort in mind. A nice soft cotton comforter set will give your little princess the extra royal comfort she deserves.
As stated earlier, this project will take some time, energy and a little work to make it successful. If you wish to get your daughter involved, do so. She will more than likely enjoy being a part of this project.

Bedroom Renovation

A little while back I decided it was time to redo my Bedroom. I call it a “renovation” however it’s more like a redesign or redecorating. Some Background: You see, the TV’s we have in our house are quite old. We have one of the first Sony Colour Trinitron TV’s from way back, in fact this TV is older than I am.

As a result the TV doesn’t really go above channel 35 and as a result I miss out on some channels which are part of our cable package one of which is the Home & Garden Network. Sometime last year they re-numbered some of the channels and as a result HGTV is now on 29. All the home reno shows simply made me realize how simple and relatively inexpensive you can do things if you do them yourself.

First of all my closet initially started out with the common wire-mesh type shelves. On top of that the previous owners did a pretty bad job of installing it, with it being unlevel and not using drywall anchors for the screws. I wanted a closet that made use of the space better as well as had more lighting, since my room light didn’t illuminate it too well. So here it is a post with all the details.


InitiallySo initially this is what my closet looked like. A wimpy wire frame closet with a horrible layout. There wasn’t much room for anything. The only thing that was useful about it was the shelf running the entire length of the closet. The way the shelving unit was set up the closet was split in half. On the left hand side there was room to hang a row of shirts above and pants below. The middle shelf could only accomodate one layer of folded clothes if you hung your shirts above. The right hand side basically ran from the floor to the ceiling to accomodate longer clothing items. Being a guy I don’t really have much clothing that runs that length. However, I do possess quite a few items that are 3/4 length.

Bathroom Renovation

Let's face it: the North American bathroom isn’t the most glamorous of rooms. Ranging from staid and boring to downright dangerous, with slippery showers and water hogging toilet tanks and tubs set in a poorly ventilated, water-tight box, many modern bathrooms just haven't been designed as thoughtfully the rest of our homes.


This is an odd development, given that bathrooms are one of the most expensive rooms in the house to build, averaging about $10,000 a pop. Still, for all their expense, the design hasn't evolved too far beyond shiny fixtures and his 'n her sinks: many of us are still using the five-by-eight bathroom with the three fixtures -- toilet, sink, and tub -- all lined up in a row. And while it might help maximize space, having a dirty fixture where you deposit your waste (the toilet) next to two where you clean yourself (the sink and the tub) doesn’t make for the healthiest environment.

Add to that all the water that literally can get flushed down the drain every day, the poor ventilation that plagues many a bathroom (that leads to poor indoor air quality), and all the energy that goes in to heating your water and lighting the room, and it might mean that it’s time to update your abode's commode. Keep reading to learn more about turning your bathroom from dank and rank to green and clean.

Kitchen,s Renovation

It’s not just about the layout or design - or the finishes, material and accessories. At , we understand that building the right kitchen is about appreciating the role the kitchen Renovation plays in your life, not just the role it plays in the preparation of your dinner. Kitchens works the way you do. We don’t fit you into a box. That means pot drawers are close to the oven and cutlery drawers by the sink and dishwasher.


And it means cabinetry that lasts. We’ve designed and built thousands of kitchens for thousands of tastes. Find out what sets apart from the rest. Visit Kitchens for more Toronto Kitchen & Bathroom renovation information.
Welcome to Kitchens, a family-owned kitchen design and manufacturing business specializing in Framed and Frame-less cabinets. We design, manufacture and install our own cabinetry with perfection and with an eye to the detailing. We are the carpenters with the capability to build any size and any shape cabinetry, namely for the kitchen, as well as vanities, bookcases or fireplaces.
At Kitchen,s, style and sophistication meet function to create beautiful, fine quality cabinetry and furniture for your kitchen. We specialize in creating functional masterpieces offering a selection of door styles, finishes, and decorative enhancements that allow you to customize your kitchen to suit your style with cabinetry "crafted just for you". Whether your project is a new kitchen design or home improvement, our company is the one stop shop for the cabinetry and the renovation.

Outdoor Room Renovation

Tempted to add an outdoor room to your home so you can spend as much time as possible outside? An outdoor room can serve as a wonderful extension of your living and/or dining room. By installing an overhead canopy or roof, you’ll be able to sit outdoors even in the rain. Cabinetry & Storage
Do some research before you get started: read design and gardening magazines, talk to friends and acquaintances, and sign up for a garden tour of local residences. Ideally, your outdoor room should reflect your home's architectural style, so look for ideas that connect with and complement your indoor spaces.Decide what area you can use for an outdoor room, and start a scrapbook that you can use to create a “wish list.” Then ask yourself a few questions to determine what kind of space will meet the needs of your lifestyle. Do you want:
  • a small bistro table and two chairs on your balcony?
  • a private rooftop deck with chairs and loungers for parties and late-night stargazing?
  • an enclosed space between your home and your garden furnished with a lavish dining table and chairs, a waterfall, plants, a sun deck and conversation nook?
  • a patio or deck just off your kitchen to enjoy afternoon lunches?
  • an enclosed sunroom off your living room to expand your home's entertainment space?
Set a budget and draw up a plan
Visit gardening and outdoor stores and outlets with your scrapbook to see how much you can afford to spend. Go online to research products and manufacturers’ information. Costs vary widely, but you can probably build an outdoor room for much less than it would cost for interior renovation.

The basic elements
No matter what your budget, your goal should be to create a space that seamlessly connects with your house and lifestyle, where you and your guests can relax. It can include some or all of the following:

Food preparation: Most people opt for a barbecue, grill or fire pit, plus a side table large enough to hold food fixings and platters. But your outdoor room can contain as many features as your kitchen -- generous counter space, a cocktail bar, sinks outfitted with plumbing, a cooking station, an all-weather stove complete with grill and pizza oven, a refrigerator and a dishwasher.

Furniture: Comfortable, weather-resistant patio chairs that invite people to settle in for a while are important. You might also consider a dining room table and end tables, plus chaise lounges or hammocks. Make sure they're made of materials designed for outdoor use in your part of the country. Resin, for instance, may be inexpensive and easy to clean, but it may be too light if you live in a windy location. Wicker can be terrific for shady areas, but degrades when constantly exposed to sun and wind.

Lighting: Landscape lighting is ideal for conversation and dining areas, or for pathways, pools and landscaping. You can even have fixtures installed directly into decks or step risers. Candles can add romance to an outdoor meal.

Water: Fountains, ponds and waterfalls are becoming increasingly popular and can create a calming atmosphere. While they needn't be expensive, they are high-maintenance, so take that into consideration.

Decoration: The great outdoors is your most important decoration -- a beautiful vista in the distance, or your very own ground cover, trees, plants and shrubs. Choose flora that will give you an interesting mix of color and texture for all seasons. Your outdoor room will then provide a pleasant view no matter what the time of year. Add wall decorations, murals or sculptures to complement the décor. For parties, you can add an inexpensive acrylic area rug and tablecloth. Weigh the edges of the cloth down with drapery weights or strings of lights.

Room Decorating Lessons

Learn How to Decorate the Home of Your Dreams
Without Wasting Time, Money or Needless Frustration

Do you wish you knew how to decorate with confidence? Have you always wanted to know how the "pro's" make it all work? Do you hate flipping through magazines of beautiful rooms because you don't think you can pull it off? Aren't you tired of your home not being a place you love and aren't you tired of not wanting people to visit?

If you answered YES to any one of those questions, then you MUST keep reading! I have the answer for you!
It's amazing and sometimes outrageous the extremes we will take to decorate our homes. I want to help you decorate the home of your dreams without worry of making mistakes and wasting time or money. We all dream about the "perfect" home. To some it may be a home on 2.5 acres that others will ooh and aah over, to another it may be a comfortable townhouse where friends come to "hang out," to others its a place that all the neighborhood kids congregate and to still others its an apartment of high style.

Regardless of what your home is now or what your definition of "perfect" is, there are ways you can take control to make your home EXACTLY what YOU want it to be!

You can:

  • Eliminate the embarrassment & humiliation of a home that is unattractive and uncomfortable
  • Gain tons of self confidence because you have created a home you consider "perfect"
  • Save money for that dream vacation or the kid's college fund by making purchases wisely
  • Possess the power to take control over decorating your home
  • Boast proudly in something you created
  • Enjoy that dream vacation with all the extra time you will save
  • Ooze joy and happiness because your home is all you hoped and dreamed it could be
  • Take control of your home instead of allowing it to take control of you

If you are like me, you get overwhelmed by all the choices and options that are out there to decorate your home. You may run from here to there buying things without knowing if they are really going to work in your room, but you hope they will. When you get home, it is very obvious they won't work. So, you go back to the store to return everything. TWO wasted trips! Who has time for that?

Or, you may become paralyzed by not knowing what to choose so you end up doing nothing! Your home won't get decorated this way!

There is hope and I want to share the secret with you.

I want to show you how you can:

  • Feel confident in knowing how to decorate your home like a pro
  • Make wise decorating decisions
  • Gain the know-how of professionals
  • Decorate your home and save money!
  • Finish a decorating project without losing your mind or marriage
  • Stay organized and focused with any decorating project
  • Make all your friends envious of your beautiful home
  • Find the solutions to all your decorating dilemma's
  • Feel endless joy and happiness in your home.
WHO AM I ANYWAY?

Let me introduce myself, my name is Rhonda Morin and I am the owner and creator of a web site called My Interior Decorator.com, and the author of The Decorating Bible. I have been an interior designer for 20 years. I graduated from Colorado State University with a degree in Interior Design. My career quickly began designing offices, restaurants, and upscale homes in the Washington, DC area. I had an interesting stint as a display person in an interior design showroom that later worked itself into room arrangements in people's homes. I got to move furniture around and arrange accessories. Later I began working on model homes, one of which was featured in an area newspaper.

I closed a portion of my residential interior design business to sell services on the Internet in 1997. Because of the fear lots of people have about purchasing services over the Internet, my message about how easy and inexpensive it is to decorate your home was not getting out there. I decided to hold nothing back and spill my 14 years of experience.

It was honestly one of the hardest things I have ever done. I felt like I was selling out my profession by giving away the methods I use to design a home for a client.

Being an interior designer, I have trained and gained experience to help people decorate the homes of their dreams. I do believe it is the purpose of my life to assist others in creating beautiful comfortable environments that express who they are. And that is why I wrote this book!

Interior Designers, like myself, have insights and training that will help you create your "perfect" home. Many people have a natural talent for decorating and it does take that talent and passion for interiors to make a good designer, but with years of training and experience, the professionals have tips, tricks and ideas to get your end result faster and with less cost and frustration. When you take action and decide to purchase The Decorating Bible, you will:

  • Have time to do all the things you've been putting off because you won't be worrying about decorating your house anymore! Everything is laid out for you, no more endless hours spent trying figure out where to put the sofa and chairs or what type of artwork would work best in the family room.
  • Have more money! Well, maybe not if you are extravagant in your tastes or don't manage your money well. But you will certainly SAVE money by not purchasing things that are wrong for your home based on a whim or lack of direction.
  • Not be frustrated any longer because you just don't know what to do to make your home all you want it to be!
  • Have the power to purchase items when and where you want! For those of you who like to shop, you can still shop and bargain hunt, you will just be guided and directed to purchase the correct things. No more running back and forth to the store because you bought the wrong piece.
  • Have the confidence in your home to entertain at the drop of a hat! Your home has been designed by you with the help of a professional interior designer exactly the way you it should be for you and your family and the way you live.
  • Have confidence in YOURSELF because you have the power to make decisions and take action to create the home of your dreams! You will know where to begin, what to do first and how to make the room come together.
  • Have a home you can be proud of!

SO, WHAT'S THE ANSWER????

For some, it's hiring a designer or decorator. But working with an interior designer or decorator can be costly and scary. Professional's typically charge anywhere from $75-250 per hour. Some designers design spaces based on their likes and dislikes or trends and not based on your families likes and dislikes. Finding the right person to work with can be timely and often times intimidating.

For some, they decide to decorate based on things they have learned from friends and family. Those people although offering a loving opinion, may be swaying you towards their style and not yours. Also not trained, they may not know all the answers and secrets to selecting the right fabrics and colors or knowing how to arrange the furniture for your room. You waste time and money buying the wrong things only to have a home that is perfect for your friend or family member but doesn't quite do it for you.

And there are some who are just too scared to do anything so they just do nothing! This is very sad because you live in a home that is limiting your hope and value. You may not have the confidence to decorate your home, so you feel these feelings of defeat and frustration, which projects itself in your daily life.

Where are you?

There is one last group of people, those who have learned the secrets and taken action to decorate their homes with confidence.

What is this secret solution?

The Decorating Bible!

The Decorating Bible is the Last Book on Decorating You Will Ever Need to Buy!

It provides step by step instruction on how to decorate. It is an easy to read, easy to understand, fool-proof way to decorate.One reader said: "I can't tell you how pleased I am with your book. You packed in so much valuable knowledge, literally giving me a great basic education in design. Now I think I can manage to decorate my own home with more confidence and skill.

"I've read many articles and books on interior decorating, but this one really cut to the core quickly and walked me step-by-step through the creative and technical process of design. Perfect for the non-decorator.

"I'm excited about gathering swatches of fabric and clips of design examples in magazines as you suggested. Surely, my own personal "style" will emerge."Truly, I was born without any sense of color or design. It's taken me many years just to feel comfortable enough to hang things on my walls and paint a different color other than off-white.

"Thank you for a wonderful book...and for my new found self-confidence!-LP

Another reader: I just finished reading The Decorating Bible through for the first time. I was a little skeptical in the beginning but desperate. I have to say the book is worth every penny just for your encouraging words alone! I've always thought of myself as a pretty good decorator but I see alto of room to improve after reading your book. Thanks for so many great ideas- I'm sure I'll be reading your book many, many more times.-MM

When you purchase The Decorating Bible, you will learn:

  • how to find your style
  • how to determine what you want & don't want
  • how to get organized and stay organized
  • where to begin in YOUR home & your decorating project
  • how to draw a floor plan
  • how to arrange furniture correctly, piece by piece, without breaking your back
  • how to select furniture that is appropriate for you and your home
  • how to work with color & patterns, just like the designers do
  • how to combine patterns and colors in a room
  • functions and benefits of different kinds of window treatments
  • how to select the correct type of "curtain" for your home
  • how to use artwork to your homes best advantage
  • how to hang artwork
  • where to hang artwork
  • how to place accessories
  • how to work with scale, style, color, texture and pattern
  • step by step help in decorating the home of your dreams
So why is this book better than any other book out there?

First, you get step by step instruction on how to hang artwork, place accessories, pick out colors and patterns, where to place color and pattern, how to select furniture, how to arrange furniture….. The list is endless. There is no stone left unturned.

Secondly, because the book has been created as an e book, you can download it right now and start reading! With any of the online booksellers, you have to wait until the book is delivered. With traditional bookstores, you need to pile the kids in the car. Lock up the house and drive down to the store. Get the kids out of the car and then look book by book reading spines and trying to find the solutions to your questions based on the selection they currently have in-stock. You can receive The Decorating Bible while your kids are sleeping, or whatever other great crisis is occurring in your home. (As a test one night, I downloaded the book while I took my dog for a walk. It was done when I got back.)

Just a note on E book's: They are BOOKS you read on your computer. You download them like you would a computer program and once you click to open them, you have access to all the chapters, images and click able links to things on the Internet. This book is saved as an Adobe Acrobat file, which means anyone can read it, using Adobe Acrobat Reader.

Third, you get me! Yes, me! I am always an email away. If you don't understand something or you are having trouble with your room, send an email or pick up the phone and together we will find your solution.

And finally, where the Bible teaches man to be fishers of men, The Decorating Bible will teach man and woman to decorate the homes of their dreams. To my knowledge, there is not as extensive a book out there on the way to design a home for each individual's specific style, wants, and needs. This book was designed to teach you how to do this yourself!

As I discussed before, some designers charge between $75-250 per hour. They charge this to you EACH TIME THEY WORK WITH YOU or on your project. Some designers work on a commission basis. They do not make money for the time they spend at your home working with you. They make money from the things they sell you and thus, wish to sell you lots of things.

The Decorating Bible eliminates this cost. When averaged out per room, the book costs less than $3 per room and it can be used over and over again is a pretty good deal.

The Decorating Bible costs $19.99.

MY GUARANTEE

Don't decide now if this is right for you or not. Go ahead and download the book and read it. If you decide the book doesn't teach you everything I have discussed here, I will give you your money back. Simple, eh?

There is absolutely no risk!

There is a little catch though, there is always a catch. :-) You have to ask for your refund within 30 days of purchase. Just send an email to me with your email address, name, and receipt number and I will make sure you get your money back. It's a simple little catch, but not a painful one.

Decorating Assistant

Being and staying organized in any decorating project is vital. Each room in your home could have hundreds of details you need to coordinate and keep track of. If you aren't organized, you will never know what goes where and what you still need to purchase.
Suppose it's a beautiful sunny Saturday and you decide to go "antiquing" to just look for some cool things for the house. You aren't looking for anything in particular, you are just looking. While in the quaintest town you find a few interior design shops you have never been into before. So you go in to a couple, just to look.

Inside the first one you find a great plaid fabric that is just what you want for the master bedroom. You get a sample and toss it in the shopping bag you are carrying. At the next shop you find several different fabrics you really like for different rooms and you get samples of them and put them in the same shopping bag you are carrying.

When you get home, you put the fabric samples in a basket on your home office desk to look at later because it's time for dinner, gotta get the kids to bed and get things pulled together for the family, who are coming over tomorrow.

As the weeks go by you visit a few different interior design shops, fabric shops, and antique stores and you find some great fabrics. You get samples of everything you love and they all go in the basket on the home office desk.

One day you decide it's time to start getting serious about decorating the house. You go to your basket and start sorting fabrics. You find the perfect fabrics for the family room, kitchen and entry hallway but where on earth did you find them? How much did they cost? How many yards will you need and how do you order?

Without being organized you will have to retrace your steps to find the place you found those fabrics or spend time searching for another fabric. (It really happens this way and it has happened to me too! This was of course before I realized I had to be organized.)

The Decorating Assistant is the tool to help you get and stay organized. It will:

  • Record your room measurements
  • Layout your floor plan
  • Provides room to keep fabric, wallpaper & paint chips
  • An area to keep receipts, brochures and other important information
  • A place to sto
    This Decorating Organizer is Your Decorating Assistant!

    re business cards from shops where you find decorating gems
  • Track your budget and project costs
Each Decorating Assistant Pack allows you to organize up to 3 different rooms. There are storage pockets and room for you arrange and keep a floor plan of your room. It also keeps track of:
  • window, wall, and room measurements
  • samples of fabric, wallpaper, trim, tile, floor covering, etc.
  • paint chips
  • photos
  • ideas
  • contact information
  • budget information
  • and much, much more!
The thing I love most about The Decorating Assistant is that it comes with it's own beautiful bag to store your keys, cell phone, tape measure, all your samples and floor plans, and anything else you want to toss in there. It has enough room to allow you to take all your decorating projects with you so you can see how the fabric in the family room will look with the paint in the kitchen and if those prints are really going to match the wallpaper in the dining room. Here is a list of the features with each Decorating Assistant.

  • Durable file holder with room to store and carry magazines, tile samples
  • Magnetic shapes for arranging floor plans
  • Large storage, see-through pockets for storing photos, samples, sketches, receipts, product info., etc.
  • 1 Reuseable Magnetic grid for laying out your floor plans & arranging your floor plans.

Decorating Software

Because you are reading this most likely on a computer, you can probably understand that software makes life easier. It helps us speed up tasks that could take hours if we were doing them by hand. Decorating software is no different. There are so many different software programs out there that can help you do just about anything but what program you end up with will be determined by what you need to do.

Plan3D
This is the neatest tool I have seen in quite some time. This is an internet based service and download that allows you to set up your home, a room, an addition, whatever, and see it in "blueprint" form (flat) or in 3D (three dimensions), hence the name. What I like most about it is you can move walls, add toilets, add a window or door or an opening, put your furniture in different areas in different ways and you can see how the room will work and you can actually walk through it. For the "visually challenged" this is a great program to show you how different furniture arrangements will actually look in your home. How you will walk from the living room past the new sofa and around the coffee table to the new comfortable chair in the window. How is it going to look in your home? Check it out and see for yourself!

3D Home Architect® Home Design Deluxe 6

3D Home Architect® Home Design Deluxe 6 is a program that you install on your computer. You can either download it or order it on disks. Much like Plan3D this program lets you build a home or a single room and basically walk through it in 3D. You can view a plan in a 2D or flat blueprint like plan and then “magically” it will create the 3D to allow you to see how things are relating to each other.

This program allows you at add colors and textures, various fabrics, artwork, lamp styles, furniture heights and lots of various other features. When you can look at all of this together you can make determinations if you want to add something or take it away before you make your start shopping.

3D Home Architect® Home Design Deluxe 6 Download

Whether you're embarking on a serious building project or simply experimenting with home design ideas, find everything you need in 3D Home Architect® Home Design Deluxe 6.* Convenient wizards and tutorials help you create basic plans fast, while unlimited customization guarantees a flawless finished project. Easy to use, yet powerful enough to generate buildable blueprint-style plans, 3D Home Architect® Home Design Deluxe 6 is the only design program you need.

Decorating Articles

Not every article relates to decorating a specific room or in a specific style. A lot of the decorating articles and stories that are on My Interior Decorator.com have to do with decorating with pattern, how to f aux finish a wall, what is under that fabric on your sofa.This section of My Interior Decorator.com is designed to help you understand all the extras in decorating your home like decorating with color, getting your home organized before you start decorating, using pattern in your home, how to paint, f aux finish and things like that. When you came to this page and on every page related to our decorating articles, the left hand menu has changed to make navigating easy. In each main section you will find links to the decorating articles divided out according to categories. On each page you will find articles as well as possibly some books relating to decorating and links to products in the store for easier shopping.

Decorating Do Bits Newsletter

Decorating Do Bits is a weekly resource filled with tips, tricks, schedules, systems, discounts and sales, and how to' s for everything from hanging window treatments to painting the defect wall. Join today by entering your name and email address below and expect your education to begin shortly.I HATE spam that is why I use a system that requires you to approve your email address twice before anything is ever sent to you. If you should decide at any time that you no longer want to receive be a part of our community, you simple unsubscribe yourself. Please look for the confirmation email in your inbox and perhaps even add us to your "whitelist."

Become an Interior Decorator

Saturday, August 8, 2009

Have you ever thought about starting a career in interior design or has someone told you that you have a knack for putting things together?I don't even know you... but I know your type! You desperately want a career in interior design! I bet you love to rearrange the furniture in your house. Even if it's only in your head. You say to yourself..."I bet that'd look good over there. And this over here!" And you know what, you're probably right. You have it in your blood to be an interior designer.Right now, you may not believe me. You may have never considered a career as an interior designer. But if you're already doing the work in your head for free......why not get paid for it! You're just doing what comes natural.

Being an Interior Designer can be well worth your time - and yes I am talking money. How would you like to work for yourself doing something that you enjoy?
Well you can. And I can show you how. It's something I call...How To Break Into The Interior Design Industry!"
Greetings Friend,If you are interested in Interior Design, you can start your own career with just a little guidance.Has anyone ever told you that you have an eye for design? The last time you helped someone move, did people ask your opinion when trying to situate furniture? Maybe you just enjoy rearranging and decorating rooms in your head.
All the same... if you have the itch, or even an interest, you have already taken the first step to becoming an Interior Designer.How would it feel to do something that you love... and get paid for it? Not many people get that chance.But in "How To Break Into The Interior Design Industry," you will find out how you can do exactly that.
"Secrets of Tackling the Interior Design Industry Revealed Here!"
"How To Break Into The Interior Design Industry" is a thoroughly researched report on how to take your interest and turn it into a full fledged career. It takes you from the beginning - helping you figure out if this is really for you - all the way to finding clientele for your new business.in fact...
...Here is just SOME of the information you will find inside:** Develop an understanding for the vast number of people who NEED an Interior Designer.
** 7 questions to ask yourself before entering the profession.** Understand the advantages and disadvantages of being a commercial interior designer.** Learn why working with what you have is an important part of being creative.
** Understand the steps you will have to take to make your business legal your state.** Learn the different roles and responsibilities that an Interior Designer takes on.**Understand why picking a specialty can help your business.
** Discover the 4 major technical aspects of being an Interior Designer that you MUST be familiar with.
** Realize the benefits and shortcomings of being a residential interior designer.** Understand the different types of invoices you should have ready for clients.** Learn when it is best to charge per hour or per project.
** Discover 3 lesser-known niches in Interior Design where you could make a name for yourself with less competition.** Learn about the common practice of designers making their own product lines to generate business and revenue.
** Learn what to expect from customers when you first get started. Some will Lie!** Understand the importance of being versatile - not just with trends but also with...** 4 sections of business that you need to be aware of in order to have a successful career.** Questions you can't ignore when choosing a specialty.**0 Learn how to create a portfolio even if you have little to no experience. ** Understand what you can expect to see in wages as an assistant or certified Interior Designer.** 4 major areas where Interior Designers must be MASTERS of organization.** Understand the difference between an accredited and non-accredited interior design college courses.
** Discover the classes you can expect to take at an accredited college.
** Realize the importance of problem solving and you.
** 5 areas to be aware of and work on when gauging how personable you are.
** 8 items to have plenty of when setting up shop with your own Interior Design Business.
** 5 invaluable tips to follow-through on when searching for clientele and starting your business. ** 14 areas of the industry that you MUST be familiar with in order to be taken seriously as an Interior Designer.
** Poor your eyes over a Pros and Cons chart of the Interior Design profession.
** Understand the good and the bad of self-teaching yourself the art of Interior Design with our "Pros and Cons of Self Teaching" chart.
** 6 MORE questions to ask yourself to REALLY decide if you have the passion to design.** Realize the benefits and shortcomings of attending a trade school instead of a university.** 5 questions to ask yourself when deciding if you have the passion to design.** 5 tips to help you multi-task, especially for the person who thought they couldn't do it.
** Discover the realm of online Interior Design educational programs.
** 7 tips you need to use if you're looking to try the "self-taught" method of Interior Design School. ** 3 different avenues to pursue for an Interior Designer that does not want to go into business for him or herself.
** And there's MUCH more - guaranteed!** "Who Else Wants to Break On Into The Interior Design Industry!"
If you want to know if Interior Design is for you, then this is the report you must have.
Once and for all you can find out exactly what being an Interior Designer means? Not sure if you have the passion?With "How To Break Into The Interior Design Industry," there will be no surprises. Find out what college courses to expect, or what to do to teach yourself the art!
"If You Decide Interior Design Is For You, We'll Show You How To Get Started!"
Once you're ready to start looking for clients, this report will teach you how to start searching for them.You'll find valuable information that could keep you from getting ripped off. A long with what supplies you'll need to have available to impress clients and help them decide what they're looking for.
Any professional in the Interior Design industry will need a portfolio. We'll show you how to put together your own portfolio even if you have no or little experience!Many people start new businesses. But the truth is, most of them fail within the first couple of years.

But how many of them had a GUIDELINE to show them what to do each step of the way. Most likely VERY little. You can take this information and use it to your advantage.

Automated trading platform

Saturday, July 18, 2009
An automated trading platform is used both by trading system publishers, and the investors who subscribe to them. Using it, traders can track marked-to-market performance using several different metrics for verifiability.[1] In addition to tracking performance of these "black box" systems, the automated trading platform also provides a venue to permit the system's buy/sell signals to be executed to the subscriber'sbrokerage account automatically. Some of the automated trading platforms are completely broker-agnostic and permit an interface with almost any brokerage firm.
The immediate benefit to investors is that it allows them to have insight into various trading systems that are on offer, which may make claims of profitability. The platform "allows people or institutions that believe they can outperform the market to prove to the public in a verifiable way that they indeed can do so."[2] In the second stage of use, traders subscribe to one or more of these trading methodologies, and have the trades that are specified by the system executed automatically in a brokerage account.
Although turning over decisions and execution to a "black box" system requires the investor to give up an element of control, the automated trading platform does serve the purpose of allowing the trader to spend more time on strategy and on studying trends, rather than executing those strategies manually.

Overview of GCI Financial

GCI Financial Ltd ("GCI") is a regulated securities and commodities trading firm, specializing in online Foreign Exchange ("Forex") brokerage. In addition to Forex, GCI is a primary market maker in Contracts for Difference ("CFDs") on shares, indices and futures, and offers one of the fastest growing online CFD trading services. GCI has over 10,000 clients worldwide, including individual traders, institutions, and money managers. GCI provides an advanced, secure, and comprehensive online trading system. Client funds are insured and held in a separate customer account. In addition, GCI Financial Ltd maintains Net Capital in excess of minimum regulatory requirements

Forex Account Types

he Standard Forex Account is designed for traders wishing to trade currencies and other major financial products on one of the most sophisticated and full-featured trading platforms in the industry. Narrow spreads and rapid execution are consistent in all market conditions.
$5,000 To open
100,000 Currency units per lot
Currencies, Equity Indices,Crude Oil, and Metals
200:1 Leverage
2 pip spreads
ICTS trading software
Open A Live Account
Free Practice Account
More Details...



Mini Forex
The Mini Forex Account is ideal for traders wishing to trade currencies and other major financial products with a smaller transaction size and lower account opening minimum.
$2,000 To open
10,000 Currency units per lot
Currencies, Equity Indices,Crude Oil, and Metals
200:1 Leverage
3 pip spreads
ICTS trading software
Open A Live Account
Free Practice Account
More Details...



MetaTrader
The MetaTrader Account offers a wider product range and the MetaTrader software platfrom. While default lot sizes are 100,000 currency units, traders can select as little as 0.10 lots to transact. Unlimited charting and programmable trading signals are among the features offered in GCI's MetaTrader account.
$2,000 To open
100,000 Currency units per lot;fractional lot capability
Currencies, Equity Indices,Crude Oil, Metals, and Shares
200:1 Leverage
3 pip spreads
MetaTrader software
Open A Live Account
Free Practice Account
More Details...

Standard Forex Account

State-of-the-art trading software. The GCI trading software provides real-time prices in currencies, global equity indices, gold, silver, and crude oil. Live charts, and real-time P&L and account equity tracking are fully integrated into the free software. Windows-based and Java-based versions are available. Download a free demo...
Zero commissions. Client trading performance is enhanced by eliminating all commissions and transaction fees.
USD or Euro Denominated Trading Accounts. GCI clients can now choose to maintain their account balance and P&L in either US Dollars or Euros. Select the Base Currency you want for your account on the account application.
Trade on 2 pip spreads. Clients can trade on tight spreads in major currencies and crosses, 24 hours a day. Unlike many competitors, GCI's spreads are consistent in all market conditions and will never widen during volatile times or news releases.
Hedging Capability. Clients can open positions in the same currency in opposite directions, without the positions offsetting and without using additional margin.
Product Offerings. You can also trade Gold, Crude Oil, S&P 500, DAX 30, Nikkei 225, and Dow Jones on the same trading platform - with the same low margin requirements and zero commissions.
Risk is limited to deposited funds. GCI's sophisticated margin and dealing procedures mean that clients can never lose more than their funds on deposit. All customer funds are insured and maintained in separate accounts.
Tools for successful trading. GCI clients benefit from a wide array of resources to improve their trading results, including market analysis and research, real-time charts, and free Forex trading signals.
Try a Free Forex Demo Account...

Mini Forex Account

Rapid and fair trade execution. Market orders are confirmed within seconds at prices clicked on or accepted by the client. Furthermore, GCI has a "zero slippage guarantee" for all Forex Stop and Entry Stop orders that are placed at least one minute before the market reaches your specified price.
Zero commissions for all accounts. Client trading performance is enhanced by eliminating all commissions.
State-of-the-art trading software. The GCI trading software provides real-time prices in 23 major currencies, 5 equity indices, plus gold, silver, and crude oil. Live charts, and real-time P&L and account equity tracking are fully integrated into the free software. Windows-based and Java-based versions are available.
USD or Euro Denominated Trading Accounts. GCI clients can now choose to maintain their account balance and P&L in either USD or Euros. Select the Base Currency you want for your account on the account application.
Tight 3 - 4 pip spreads. Clients can trade on 3 - 4 pip spreads in major currencies and crosses, 24 hours a day.
Broad offering of financial products. In addition to currencies, you can trade mini versions of Dow Jones, Gold, S&P 500, other equity indices from your Mini Forex account. Trading opportunities and profit potential are that much higher. Click here for a full list of products and specifications.
$2000 minimum account balance. GCI provides access to spot forex trading for individuals as well as institutions. Margin requirements are $50 per lot.
Risk is limited to deposited funds. GCI's sophisticated margin and dealing procedures mean that clients can never lose more than their funds on deposit.
Hedging Capability. Clients can open positions in the same currency in opposite directions, without the positions offsetting and without using additional margin.
Tools for successful trading. GCI clients benefit from a wide array of resources to improve their trading results, including market analysis and research, real-time charts, and free Forex trading signals.

Forex Trading Software Preview

GCI now offers both ICTS trading software (windows and java-based) and MetaTrader trading software:
ICTS Trading Software
Trade currencies on 2 pip spreads from the Dealing Rates Table or directly from real-time charts. You can set alerts, place conditional orders, and take advantage of our AFX news feed, live quotes, comprehensive real-time position and account tracking, and mobile trading access.

Prices from the "Dealing Rates" windows are constantly updating and can be clicked on at any time to place a trade. This full-featured trading platform also provides real-time account balance, P&L, and margin information, and real-time charts and news. Recent enhancements include the ability to "hedge" (enter opposite positions in the same currency without offsetting or using additional margin). Click here for a Free ICTS Forex Trading Demo Account...

MetaTrader Trading SoftwareGCI now offers Forex and CFD trading on the popular MetaTrader 4 trading platform. Trading directly from charts, fractional lot capabilities, the ability to program trading signals, and unlimited charts and technical indicators are among the many benefits. MetaTrader is ideal for novice traders and professionals alike. All major currency orders are filled directly in the interbank market, with no dealer intervention or delays.
Test MetaTrader software for free: download the installation file (gci4setup.exe, 3.5Mb) to your PC, launch it and install the program, checking for instructions appearing on your monitor.

Software Download
ICTS Web-Based (Java) Trading Software: No download necessary - login to your demo account here
ICTS Windows-based Trading Software: Download HereMetaTrader Trading Software: Download Here

Foreign exchange market

Friday, July 17, 2009
The foreign exchange market (Currency, Forex, or FX) market is where currency trading takes place. It is where banks and other official institutions facilitate the buying and selling of foreign currencies. [1]FX transactions typically involve one party purchasing a quantity of one currency in exchange for paying a quantity of another. The foreign exchange market that we see today started evolving during the 1970s when worldover countries gradually switched to floating exchange rate from their erstwhile exchange rate regime, which remained fixed as per the Bretton Woods system till 1971.
Today, the FX market is one of the largest and most liquid financial markets in the world, and includes trading between large banks, central banks, currency speculators, corporations, governments, and other institutions. The average daily volume in the global foreign exchange and related markets is continuously growing. Traditional daily turnover was reported to be over US$3.2 trillion in April 2007 by the Bank for International Settlements.[2] Since then, the market has continued to grow. According to Euromoney's annual FX Poll, volumes grew a further 41% between 2007 and 2008.[3]
The purpose of FX market is to facilitate trade and investment. The need for a foreign exchange market arises because of the presence of multifarious international currencies such as US Dollar, Pound Sterling, etc., and the need for trading in such currencies.

Foreign exchange market

The foreign exchange market (Currency, Forex, or FX) market is where currency trading takes place. It is where banks and other official institutions facilitate the buying and selling of foreign currencies. [1]FX transactions typically involve one party purchasing a quantity of one currency in exchange for paying a quantity of another. The foreign exchange market that we see today started evolving during the 1970s when worldover countries gradually switched to floating exchange rate from their erstwhile exchange rate regime, which remained fixed as per the Bretton Woods system till 1971.
Today, the FX market is one of the largest and most liquid financial markets in the world, and includes trading between large banks, central banks, currency speculators, corporations, governments, and other institutions. The average daily volume in the global foreign exchange and related markets is continuously growing. Traditional daily turnover was reported to be over US$3.2 trillion in April 2007 by the Bank for International Settlements.[2] Since then, the market has continued to grow. According to Euromoney's annual FX Poll, volumes grew a further 41% between 2007 and 2008.[3]
The purpose of FX market is to facilitate trade and investment. The need for a foreign exchange market arises because of the presence of multifarious international currencies such as US Dollar, Pound Sterling, etc., and the need for trading in such currencies.

What is Forex Trading????????

Forex tradingThe investor's goal in Forex trading is to profit from foreign currency movements. Forex trading or currency trading is always done in currency pairs. For example, the exchange rate of EUR/USD on Aug 26th, 2003 was 1.0857. This number is also referred to as a "Forex rate" or just "rate" for short. If the investor had bought 1000 euros on that date, he would have paid 1085.70 U.S. dollars. One year later, the Forex rate was 1.2083, which means that the value of the euro (the numerator of the EUR/USD ratio) increased in relation to the U.S. dollar. The investor could now sell the 1000 euros in order to receive 1208.30 dollars. Therefore, the investor would have USD 122.60 more than what he had started one year earlier. However, to know if the investor made a good investment, one needs to compare this investment option to alternative investments. At the very minimum, the return on investment (ROI) should be compared to the return on a "risk-free" investment. One example of a risk-free investment is long-term U.S. government bonds since there is practically no chance for a default, i.e. the U.S. government going bankrupt or being unable or unwilling to pay its debt obligation.
When trading currencies, trade only when you expect the currency you are buying to increase in value relative to the currency you are selling. If the currency you are buying does increase in value, you must sell back the other currency in order to lock in a profit. An open trade (also called an open position) is a trade in which a trader has bought or sold a particular currency pair and has not yet sold or bought back the equivalent amount to close the position.
However, it is estimated that anywhere from 70%-90% of the FX market is speculative. In other words, the person or institution that bought or sold the currency has no plan to actually take delivery of the currency in the end; rather, they were solely speculating on the movement of that particular currency.

The Difference Forex and Futures

1. A Forex trader could trade more transaction compared to the futures market (the trading volume could be a times larger), and the risk will be strictly under control. The trading volume of the Forex market is 46 times larger compared to the futures market, moreover Forex traders could make more profit from the Forex market due to the larger trading volume (the transaction volume is a few times larger), the REFCO Switzerland rich transaction platform allowed transaction between 1-100 times to be carry on, moreover a Forex trader could decide his or her own transaction amount, for example: Your account has $30,000, the basic transaction unit is each $1,000 (which transaction amount in $1.00, million), namely, so the proportion of the margin of each transaction unit is 100:1.
2. The risk of the Forex trader is under control, such margin call will not happen compared to futures, through the Forex trading system, your risk will receive the strict limit, even if your margin if lower then the deposit required, the Forex trading system will automatically settle your position, this means even if a Forex trader suffered losses, moreover if the market is suffering from a disaster fluctuation, your loss could not surpass your account amount. In order to understand the advantages, please apply for the demo account to carry on the complete zero risk.
3. A Forex trader will receive a large limitation of liquidation and a relatively fair market because the trading volume of the Forex market is large and it is also the largest liquidation market in the world. At present the trading volume in the Forex market is 140 billion Dollars, such big market will completely digest your transaction cash.
4. A Forex trader may do 24 hours transactions and other markets are different, the Forex market is a 24 hour linkages market, it starts from every Sunday before dawn Australian Sydney market, substandard collect the transaction center Singapore, Tokyo, London, Frankfurt to New York continuously to open, such linkage market enable you to do 24 hours transactions, also provide flexibility for Forex trader to do transaction.

Difference Between Forex and Stock

1. The Forex market has a lot of advantages compare to stock market: A Forex trader could make profit through the market no matter if it is bearish and bullish which is different from the capital market, Forex has no strict regulation in speculation, no matter whether it is a long-term or a short-term transaction there is still a hidden profit, moreover, Forex market is a double-transaction market which means Forex traders could make profit through both upward and downward trend.
2. Forex traders could obtain a much larger transaction compared to the stock market, through the Forex trading, Forex traders could obtain 100 times larger transaction compared to the stock market. According to the present US situation, if a Forex trader invests $1,000 in the stock market, the trader may obtain $2,000 of stock domination property with a proportion of 2:1, but through Forex trading, a Forex trader can do transaction with a proportion up to 100:1.Forex trader may make profit from the ordinary news, like the interest rate change, Forex market is closely related to various countries' politic, economy and culture, Forex traders could also obtain profit from other kinds of news, for example interest rate level change, will influence the interest of the Forex deposit.
3. Forex traders could do 24 hours trading. The stock market can only be traded during daytime at a specific time, generally from 9:30a.m. to 4:00p.m.. If you too have your own full time job, then you will face the dilemma - either to give up your full time job or forgo the trading opportunity. But Forex market can be traded 5 days a week and 24 hours a day, Forex traders can trade during their free time which is normally at night after working hour.
4. If a trader analyze based on technical analysis, Forex trading would be much more suitable for such traders because the Forex market has a very large trading volume. Currently the Forex market has daily trading volume of 190 billion Dollar, such giant market will completely digest a fore trader's transaction cash, under such situation the accuracy of the technical analysis would be much higher then any financial market, the chances of using technical analysis to make profit would be much more higher.
5. In the stock market there are hundred and thousand kinds of stocks, then choosing stock will be a very difficult matter. But in the Forex market, the currency combination is extremely limited, this may enable Forex traders to concentrate on these currencies combination, and could follow the trend quickly

Forex Home Business

The more you understand about any subject, the more interesting it becomes. As you read this article you’ll find that the subject of forex home business is certainly no exception.
When running a forex home business, a person quickly gains knowledge of how the business world works. Whether it be selling crafts, doing a home delivery business, or selling real-estate, after investing a lot of time and effort into a home or small business, a person quickly becomes aware of the few basic business truths that govern business.
One of those truths is that you have to have time and money to start a small business or any business for that matter. More often than not, the people that have the time dont have the money to invest in a home-based business and the people that have the money dont have the time. With Forex home business, it is quite possible to generate an income with a small time investment per day, after studying FOREX for a few months, and a very small investment as little as $50 in some cases.
The second truth, and these are probably quite obvious to most people, is that in order to make money a business has to have some sort of product to sell or perform some type of service. In the FOREX world, nothing is being sold and no service is being performed, but rather money is being exchanged. You are making a profit based on the actual exchange value of one currency against another currency. This eliminates the need for employees, such as customer service personnel and human resource people if your company were to become that big.
Is everything making sense so far? If not, I’m sure that with just a little more reading, all the facts will fall into place.
Also, because of the huge size of the FOREX market, trading nearly $1.5 trillion dollars a day, such things as social events, bad publicity, and changes in political climate will have no effect on your business. In fact, after studying FOREX, you will be able to see how these things will actually benefit your FOREX home business.
The third and last classical business truth is that most people are prevented from starting a home-based business because they dont feel good enough about themselves. They dont feel like theyre educated enough. I read stories all of the time about people that feel passionate about something or they just pick something that they are relatively good at or have done before and start a business. They just take a chance. If you want to do it, step out. Take that first step. Dont drop any huge sums of money, of course, but do a little research, make a small investment and start your adventure down to the road to FOREX trading.
You dont need a doctorite degree to get involved with FOREX trading, but after a couple of months of good study, its quite possible to generate a significant source of cash from FOREX trading. Forex traders study the political and economic trends in the economically important countries, including USA, Japan, England or the European Union, and make an assessment of the present or future purchase values of these currencies in comparison with each other. Again, the process of sale and purchase is like any other market activity, except that the time period varies. Blindly trade. Forex home business is not about gambling. Consider a situation where you think that the price of a given commodity, say, silver, gold, or wheat, will increase in the near future.
You can’t predict when knowing something extra about forex home business will come in handy. If you learned anything new about forex home business in this article, you should file the article where you can find it again

Saudi Forex Reserves Reach $250 Billion

By some measures, Saudi Arabia’s reserves are the fastest growing in the world. The country’s reserves recently crossed the $250 Billion threshold, and are now growing at a pace equivalent to nearly 40% per year. The source of the reserves should be a mystery to no one: oil. Oil prices have surged over the last five years, bestowing a windfall of profits to the entire Middle East region. Plus, as summer gets underway, oil prices are sure to climb further, which will ensure continued growth in Saudi forex reserves. Fortunately for the US, the majority of the world’s oil contracts are settled in USD, which means the boom in oil prices has actually stabilized the USD, despite its contribution to the US trade deficit. In addition, Saudi Arabia is one of the world’s most reliable investors in US capital markets, which means Dollar bulls can breathe a cautious sigh of relief that reserve “diversification” will probably be given short shrift by the Sauds

Automated trading platform

An automated trading platform is used both by trading system publishers, and the investors who subscribe to them. Using it, traders can track marked-to-market performance using several different metrics for verifiability.[1] In addition to tracking performance of these "black box" systems, the automated trading platform also provides a venue to permit the system's buy/sell signals to be executed to the subscriber'sbrokerage account automatically. Some of the automated trading platforms are completely broker-agnostic and permit an interface with almost any brokerage firm.
The immediate benefit to investors is that it allows them to have insight into various trading systems that are on offer, which may make claims of profitability. The platform "allows people or institutions that believe they can outperform the market to prove to the public in a verifiable way that they indeed can do so."[2] In the second stage of use, traders subscribe to one or more of these trading methodologies, and have the trades that are specified by the system executed automatically in a brokerage account.
Although turning over decisions and execution to a "black box" system requires the investor to give up an element of control, the automated trading platform does serve the purpose of allowing the trader to spend more time on strategy and on studying trends, rather than executing those strategies manually.

[edit]Speed of execution
The appearance of automated trading systems and stock markets has greatly narrowed the window of opportunity on many trades, sometimes to just a few seconds in duration. In response, traders are turning to automated systems of their own. If for example, one is trading on one of the many systems that hinge on these very small windows, manual execution is virtually impossible. Execution of the trades must be initiated immediately, with split-second accuracy, as soon as the system gives the buy/sell signal.[3]

[edit]Best practicesThe automated trading platform, in providing a venue for analyzing multiple stock trading systems or "black boxes", provides a tool for verifiable analysis of each of those systems. While such systems often make claims of profitability, and sometimes of unheard-of returns, the automated trading platform allows the investors to vet those systems and play the ones most likely to win. Generally