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DIY inspiration board

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DIY INSPIRATION BOARD

 Wednesday is here and my Pinterest feed is full of DIY inspirations. Although most of them is holiday related (I will leave this one for another post), I managed to find few interesting ones to share with you. Crafting, Sewing, Decorating... who does not love a good DIY project? Sometimes I just daydream of times where I could just quit my job and DIY all day long. And read. This DIY inspiration board contains ideas and objects that are not DIY per se but seem like something that could be done.

DYI inspiration fleece bag

DYI inspiration - black and white planter

DYI inspiration black leather (no)glove

DYI inspiration wall art

I think most of these are doable, I just need to decide which one to start first.


What is your oppinion on DYI? Are you passionate about doing something yourself, diving into craft and making it your own little project and piece of art?

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Mary Katrantzou x Adidas Originals

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mary katrantzou x adidas originals

Mary Katrantzou has teamed up with adidas to present adidas Originals by Mary Katrantzou and they made a color vivid capsule collection that channels both Mary`s hyper-color and kaleidoscopic patterns, and both the spirit of well known adidas Originals. Famous adidas models  ZX 5000, Marathon TR, and Equipment Racer became a blank canvas for Mary, tabula rasa which she filled with string colors and patterns, floral prints and studs, both metal and gummy, added some glitter soles and made this collection interesting for a wide audience.


mary katrantzou x adidas originals mary katrantzou x adidas originals mary katrantzou x adidas originals mary katrantzou x adidas originals mary katrantzou x adidas originals

I could have them all. These are not something I would usually pick, but I like how she let herself play with design like a little girl. And I like what she did, how she transferred her vision and essence to the product. But one must remember, these shoes are made for walking on the runway, not for the gym. Although, I`d wear them there to. And to the office, if only I could.

Alongside with "running" shoes, Mary Katrantzou x Adidas Originals collaboration also offers us a range of interesting apparel pieces. Dresses and sweatshirts, tights and skirts.

mary katrantzou x adidas originals mary katrantzou x adidas originals

I have always been a huge adidas fan and each time they have new collaborations I get all excited, like a kid in a candy store. My all time favorite was with Stella McCartney, and I would have bought everything. Collaboration or no collaboration my love for adidas is eternal. They can never go wrong. My only "advice", more of a request, would be, please make that green Originals zipper sweatshirt jacket that you do in men`s size  - make it in women`s size xs too. Pretty please. I tried the men`s xs, with all the maybe-s on my mind, but it was too big for me. Please!

I feel like a pokemon fan - gotta have them all!

You like? Which collaboration with adidas would you like to see next?

On page SEO guide

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on page seo


How to make your posts more interesting to search engines? These are simple SEO rules that can help you rank your posts better. Although SEO science can seem a bit intimidating at times, I promise these 11 tips are easy to understand and implement quickly and efficiently. On page SEO is not quantum physics anymore. It used to drive me mad but as time goes by, as I do my research and learn a lot about SEO I can say that this has totally been demystified.

Although sometimes the world seems to be living by that famous idea from Heraclitus - Panta rhei, some things still remain the same. Yes, SEO is changing with each passing year and Google really keeps up with making our job of ranking good in search more difficult with each new SEO tip. But worry not, for now the most important elements of good SEO have remained the same. Being a good writer is still very important because no amount of SEO craftsmanship can`t substitute bad writing.

  1. Friendly permalink URLs


Avoid ugly un-customised URLs. Use your URL to say to search engine what are you talking about. First 3.5 words in a URL are the most important. Says the Google.

  1. Title with kyword


Title tag is THE most important element when it comes to on page SEO. Pages with their key word in the title ranked better than those that had the key word somewhere in the middle.

  1. Multimedia


It is important to have great, compelling content that tells the reader who you are and engages him in your story. But, it is important to have pictures, videos and other available multimedia in your posts because that attracts users more than just text, thus reduces your bounce rate and increases time on site.

  1. Outbound links


They help Google to focus on your page`s topic, thus this helps you boost your page`s rank in Google.

  1. Keyword in first 100 words


Putting the relevant keyword early in your content emphasizes that your article is about that particular keyword.

  1. H1 Title tag


That is your headline tag. Most platforms automatically add this tag but some themes are built to override it, so check your settings and see if it needs to be adjusted. H1 tag for your title tag is the most important thing for your on page SEO and the best thing you can do for your blog.

  1. Loading speed


This is an important signal to search engines. Users don`t like to wait for pages to load and if it takes more than 4 seconds they usually leave. That is a bad sign, search engines do recognise it and your bounce rate increases. Use CDN, compress images and have a good and fast host for your site.

  1. Social sharing buttons


Search engines do recognise the importance of social sharing and to take it into consideration when ranking your site.

  1. Long content


Longer content ranks significantly higher in Google. At least 1500 words per post.

  1. Bounce rate


Why do people stay on some sites and leave others? First impression is the most important one, but a second too. Take loading time into consideration but more importantly your design - make it simple, clean and user friendly. Write compelling stories and add internal links to your posts.

  1. LSI keywords


Google uses them to determine page`s relevancy and quality. LSI can be found at the bottom of Google search (searches related to..) or in Google Adwords Keyword tool.

Don`t be afraid to do your research. I know these three little letters, S - E - O, can be a little bit intimidating at times but, if you just give yourself enough time to do your homework on what it takes for good SEO and to really understand it, you will be OK. Awesome, as a matter of a fact. As scary as it may seem it is really very simple and can be summarized in one or two sentences. Like Jason DeMers did for Forbes magazine:

Ensuring that your topic and keywords are clearly identifiable in your content, URLs, and header and image tags isn’t difficult (though it does take time), and will go a long way toward ensuring the best possible organic search rankings for your content. But most important of all, ensure that you’re publishing awesome content on a regular basis. That’s the foundation of on-page SEO in today’s modern era of SEO.


From my experience, SEO sounded really, really scary and when a friend of mine told me how this is basically cheating and that Google can and will punish me and ban me, I was terrified. What to do? Just play by the rules and you will be ok.

It took me some time to find a source from which I can understand and really learn about this topic, and I did baby steps. Connecting the dotts can seem slowl at times but in the end it will all fall into place. Lucky for us, Wordpress has amazing plug-ins that can really help. All you have to do in the end is just write. And write good.

How do you SEO your blog? Do you believe in SEO commandments or do you just play it by the ear?


photo source

 

designer love: ABO and Ana Ljubinkovic

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There are no words to describe this perfection. Shoe perfection. I am in total awe with these shoes. Some might find them too colorful or not to feminine, but I don`t care, I just love, LOVE, LOVE them. These are made by serbian based designer collaboration between ABO and Ana Ljubinkovic (she is by far my favorite designer from exYu).


These beauties can be bought in Belgrade where Ana has her studio/boutique. And a pair (at least!) needs to be mine. I don`t even know which to pick first! I need help. Should I put it to a vote? Anyhoo, I was mesmerised by the design of the whole collection and can`t wait to get my hands on one of them. And you know how much I love man inspired shoes. You remember "the ugly shoe", right? And my recent purchase was no different - pure beauty.

This is her fourth collection and it contains 12 different designs. I really can`t decide which are more perfect. I know I sound like a child in a candy store, and to be honest I feel so too!



ABO + Ana Ljubinkovic

ABO + Ana Ljubinkovic

DIY notebook

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notebook DIY

Sometimes you just want to make something on your own, and you don`t want it to be made of a plain white paper. Since I am a total notebook psycho and could own a gazillion of them I decided that I needed one more. This one will be for a special project, of which you will read soon (so stay tuned!), made by my two little hands out of recycled paper. Ok, it has strange, unnecessary holes in it, but, I think it adds to its special character. Here is one easy diy notebook tutorial for you to try this November.

The making of is very easy. Find a bunch of papers you like and would use to make your own notebook, fold it in half, punch some holes and bind it all together. Easy peasy!

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Can`t wait to share this special project with you.

I love reusing stuff, reinventing, recycling and I really enjoyed making this notebook. I hope you liked my little tutorial.

 

How to write a successful to-do list?

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how to write a to do list


And how to write a successful one? Usually to-do lists are being made so we could become more productive, so our actions become more targeted and our plans more successful. We use to-do lists for planning as well as reminders. To-do lists are useful tools to save time, to reach a goal, to avoid procrastination and to increase productivity. But do they always work? Not so much. Even the best of the list makers (Ben Franklin) have failed at this task. So, how to write a successful to-do list?


Each and every one of us is a special person, an individual with its own set of characteristics and rituals, sets of behaviours and routines. So, it is natural that different things work for different people but in the end there are few good tips that can summarize this subject to useful 4.

  1. Divide big projects into smaller tasks to make the list do-able. Tasks need to be as much as specific as possible, as well as actionable and attainable.

  2. Priorities Prioritize. PRIORITIZE! or you will end up with a (huge) list too long for us to keep, because our mind can`t keep track and can easily get lost in the process.

  3. Plan ahead ..for the following day, week, month... or a project milestone. If you set a clear and specific view of the tasks in question and get a visual understanding of a set time-frame, having a to-do list planned ahead for each phase of the project keeps us prepared and aware, focused and intentional.

  4. Be realistic in your planning If you fail at this point (maybe this one should be the first one to have in mind when planning to make a to-do list) your to-do list is doomed and becomes pretty much a moot point.


Asses your life and daily routine objectively. We all have ideas about how we would love to live our lives, execute our to-do lists and whatnot, but in the end we need to be honest and realistic about ourselves and our own abilities. And more important, our time. After initial routine assessment, if you don`t have a routine - make one (it’s one of the most powerful ways to become a great list maker) and if you do, see how you can incorporate lists and executing tasks in hand for more productivity.

BONUS - we all are different and each individual has its own way. Find out which one works best for you.

Double bonus  - How I did it, or am trying to do it?:

+ work - write important tasks in your notebook, planner, list and do ONE task at the time.

+ blogging - try to write at work when procrastination kicks in (lets be honest, it happens) - that is a great way to cultivate the routine of writing and to avoid procrastination, which in most cases leads to nowhere. Even when disguised as "research" or "inspiration browsing".

+ have a break in between - aprox. 5 to 10 minutes so your brain can reset, reboot and recharge and start fresh on a new task without feeling overwhelmed or preoccupied.

I feel that is important that you don`t lose focus of what is important, and that is that you need to listen to yourself and see how you live and work and what are the best options for you in your line of work so you would make the most of any list. No need to lose focus and energy on comparing yourself with others and their methods.

 What are your methods for staying productive and when making to-do lists? Do you make lists? Paper or app? I would love to hear from you.

Good bye my little friend

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benI still can`t believe he is gone. I can`t believe I am actually writing this post, about his death. Do you remember this post? It was not long ago when I wrote it and I never imagined that I would be saying my goodbye so soon.

Ben passed away on Tuesday, 28 Oct only 30 minutes after my arrival home. As if he was holding on so I could say my goodbye. Which I didn`t really, because he looked better after few hours of IV and I thought he was gonna get better. Only he did not.

Ben was 12 years old, maybe even more, and was and rescue dog. He was with us for almost 2 years, it would be 2 around Christmas. I miss him so much. Even the cats miss him. He got sick so suddenly and was gone in 3 days. I know he was old but I have to be honest, I did not think his time would be so soon. Everyone says, at least he died with us, not alone, at home and not out on the cold. Yes, that brings me some comfort, but he is still gone. Last few days went by in a bit of a blur for all of us. I have been crying my eyes out, and I can only imagine how my husband is doing. Although I "picked" him, he was his dog. Or should I say, he was Ben`s human. He picked him in the end. Listened to him and cried when hubby was on business trips, and I was the only one at home. He loved him so much.

It is so strange without him in the house. Although he was a quiet dog who loved to sleep and just chill all day long, I can feel the emptiness all around me. I don`t need to pay attention in the kitchen when I walk, there is no one to be stepped on. I can open the fridge just like that, he is not sleeping in front of it. The floors are clean and no one is waking me up at crack of dawn to let him out to pee or bark at a hedgehog. I would do anything to wander the front yard at 4 am, looking for an intruder that keeps my dog up. They would make friends and then Ben would tried to eat it. Not good. But I would trade the world for it. I miss him so much. Even the cat is depressed.

Ben, my dear little friend you gave us 2 wonderful years and you were family to us. Not a pet. Family. You taught me that old dogs, and gosh you were old, can be taught new tricks. YAY! We didn`t get to do the "roll over"s but... when we meet again, I am sure we will. By the end you were blind and deaf but you still new when to greet us at the door. You went away quickly and quiet as if you knew we couldn`t handle making the decision of putting you to sleep. I don`t think I could do it. You died in our arms, at home, loved more than I will ever be able to describe. But you knew.

And we will always love you.

Be happy my friend beyond the rainbow in dog heaven. And you will never be hungry again. Ever.

And when the time comes, I know you will give us a sign whom to rescue next.

Love you,

I.