Feb24

Finding Your Fit As An International On The Job Market

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Finding Your Fit As An International On The Job Market

Moving to a new country always comes with its fair share of challenges. One of those is making sure that you’re contributing to society through employment, particularly by getting work in the field that you’re best qualified and suited to. It may be difficult, but it’s not impossible. A little research and re-aligning your skills can get you in a job in no time at all:

What You Need To Have And Know: It’s important to get a grasp of the rights and requirements of working in any country. If you’re a temporary international, you are likely to need a specific kind of visa, which you can inquire about before making your move. You also need to look into acquiring anything like a tax number when you do start working, which is also important for making use of the benefits that you can be entitled to. A local employment center can help ensure that you’re not missing anything vital.

Master The Language: Whether you have a job waiting for you or you’re new on the market, there is no better skill to get under your belt than a proper grasp of the language that is used where you live. There are plenty of English language course options and options for other languages that help you no matter what your current competency level is. Not only will it allow you the kind of professional mastery over your speech that can make you a more appealing hire, but it’s important to be able to be thoroughly understood when communicating with colleagues. Language barriers can get in the way of work and personal work relationships.

Get Help With The Resume: Your resume, CV, or however else you might consider it, will change not only from place to place but position to position. You need to do your research on what employers in the country look for in a resume. Employment centers can be a big help in giving your skills the kind of presentation that they need.

Know The Etiquette: Every country has its cultural differences and some of them are going to take time and experience to thoroughly understand. What you should research in advance, however, is professional etiquette. From how to dress professionally to how to address superiors as well as simple interpersonal etiquette. You can make your first day go a lot smoother if you take the time to learn, which will (hopefully!) prevent major blunders or etiquette no nos.

Getting Your Match: If you have specific skills or experience in a specific industry, then it might be easier to get you a match that fits your expertise, rather than having to start by scanning the market. There are a lot of programs that help internationals work in the field that they know, so have a look to see if any of these can help you find your match.

Getting a job isn’t only going to keep you sustained, but it’s one of the easiest ways to find yourself getting used to the culture and the people of a new location. The friends that you make at work, in particular, can help you do away with those newcomer blues in no time.

Featured Image By: Pixabay

Feb23

Ruby Tulip Update

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Ruby Tulip Update

Hello! As you guys know, the final treat for my Think Spring guest bloggers series is a very special roll on fragrance oil brought to you by my dear friend, Angela, of Angie’s Bath & Body. Last week, I received the two potential fragrances for Ruby Tulip in the mail and let me just say, they smell good. Like…really good. This week has been dedicated to getting as many of my girlfriends to test out both fragrances to see which way the public opinion sways and it has been such fun introducing them to the potential Ruby Tulip scent.

As soon as I decide which fragrance is the winner, the Ruby Tulip roll on oil will be available to my readers. Angela and I also have a special promo code that will be posted when the fragrance launches to give all of you a fantastic deal! I am SO excited to have such a talented scentstress creating my very own fragrance line and can’t wait to share it with all of you!

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Which mystery scent do you think I will choose, fragrance one or two? Who is as excited as I am for the launch of Ruby Tulip? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Feb23

How Randomness Can Add Creativity To Your Photography

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In many ways, the high technology of the modern world spoils us, especially when it comes to photography. Thanks to computers and Photoshop, there is more scope than ever before to be creative and to be expressive in photos. There are all sorts of techniques that can be used and many of them can help to make your work look more artistic and creative. Here are some fun camera hacks to help you add randomness and creativity to your work:

Move The Camera: Most professional photography courses emphasize the importance of keeping the camera as still as possible. The reason for this is to preserve things like lines and sharp edges and to prevent the photo from looking blurred. But sometimes you actually want to blur to convey a sense of motion to the image you’re snapping.

There are several popular ways of using the motion of the camera to take a better shot. “Panning”, for example, is a technique used most frequently in sports when following a target, like a horse, from one side of the field of view to the other. Another technique is “rotation” where the camera takes a photograph mid-whirls. Finally, there is camera throwing, where you literally throw the camera to take the shot. (With this one, you might want to prepare an area where the camera can land softly!).

As you can see, moving the camera can provide countless effects in itself. However, if you are shooting objects that are really moving, you might need more specialized equipment. For example, a car race would be shot best with a Line Scan Camera because of its high speed processing.

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The camera was not thrown for this picture!

Creative Focusing: You don’t need a full-blown DSLR to play around with focus. Some of the best bridge cameras in 2017 also come with options that allow users to focus either slightly in front or slightly behind the subject. The purpose of doing this is usually to pick out some other element of the photograph to focus on, leaving the rest of the image blurred. With the right foreground and background colors, this sort of technique can create intrigue and mystery.

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I’m intrigued 😉

Zoom & Shoot: Another way to use your camera is to zoom in while you shoot. This has the effect of making the outer edge of the image blurred while keeping the subject in the center in focus. Zooming while shooting makes it appear as if the whole image is sort of popping out at you. It’s also possible to combine zoom with a slow sync flash, which can produce some pretty spectacular results.

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Flickr Image

Shoot From Below: Top professional photographers have been using low-angle shots for decades to evoke a sense of scale. It turns out that the technique is extremely useful. Even regular sized objects take on whole new personalities when shot from below. What’s more, shooting from below is interesting for viewers. In our daily lives, we rarely see things from a mouse-eye view, and so when we do, it’s engaging if nothing else.

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Holy moly!

Use Over Exposure: Another thing photography school warns about is overexposing your shots. But doing it in the right setting, especially when an image contains dazzling colors, can be really effective. If you bump up the exposure setting on your camera, sometimes you can generate beautiful effects with foreground objects contrasting nicely with the burnt out background of the scene.

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Pretty!

Whether your passion lies in front of or behind the camera, learning the proper techniques can only benefit you in your line of work!

Feb23

Homeowner’s Hit List: What Upgrades Should You Make To Your Property This Year?

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Homeowner’s Hit List: What Upgrades Should You Make To Your Property This Year?

Home is where the heart is and every homeowner will be looking for ways to bolster their properties over the coming months. And let’s face it, there are usually two factors that we demand from any upgrade project. Firstly, we want the work to improve our lives. Secondly, we want those improvements to add financial value, too. If your next home upgrade project can achieve both of those things, it’s probably a wise choice. Still struggling for inspiration? Here’s all you need to know:

Give Every Room A Purpose: There’s no greater mistake than letting a room go to waste. You’ve paid good money for your property and you should be eager to make every last inch matter. A decluttering session will certainly add the perception of more space, but nothing will beat repurposing a dormant room. The most likely candidates will be the guest bedroom or the garage. Whether you turn it into a man cave, a she shed, or a second living space doesn’t matter. Giving the space a purpose will surely be better than letting it collect dust. Alternatively, you could look into converting the attic space into a home office. It might cost a little time and money to complete the transformation, but your property value will increase dramatically.

Add Modern Tech: You don’t necessarily need to transform an entire room to breathe new life into the property. Technology and home gadgets have completely transformed the way we interact with our properties. Leaving yours in the past could be reducing your enjoyment and may limit the resale value, too.

First and foremost, you should prioritize the essential comforts of a modern home. A suitable HVAC system, high-pressure shower, and washing machines can all have a telling impact on your daily life. Home audio visual solutions can upgrade the way you interact with the property as a family as well as on an individual basis. Let’s face it; most homeowners will desire that type of advanced tech, too. Having it in place now will make the home more attractive.

Finally, there’s no greater feeling than safety. Investing in home surveillance and other tech-based security could work wonders. In addition to increasing home value, it could reduce your insurance premiums also.

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The bat cave!

Go Green: If your next project can improve your life as well as your finances, then that’s great. But if it can additionally reduce your damage to the environment, then it surely has to be a winning solution. Greener living doesn’t mean you have to become a hippie. It doesn’t even mean that you need to make huge investments like roof solar panels. Small upgrades like eco-friendly toilets and new windows will work wonders for energy bills and emissions. On top of that, you should see the value of your property gain a serious boost.

In the meantime, LED light bulbs and eco-friendly cleaning materials can make a noticeable impact. If nothing else, it will provide another incentive to follow through with those slightly larger planned upgrades.

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Go green!

Featured Image By: Google

Feb23

Which Life Adjustments Are Worth It?

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Which Life Adjustments Are Worth It?

There are many adjustments that we make to our lives over time; some drastic, some not so much. It all depends on a lot of factors, including finances, family, influences from our friends, and our drive to get to where we want to be. So what are the main things that we are choosing to change as we get older?

Our Job: None of us stay in the same job forever. At some point you will want to or have to change to further your career. There are so many options available to us to get us further into the field that we are interested in, and not all of them are age-considerate. For example, you can earn a high school diploma from online distance learning or at an evening college class if you never graduated, and college is available to go to at any age. There are so many different ways to learn, especially with the internet at our disposal; simple tricks, trades, and hacks can be learned online, even if it’s just picking up a remotely-located job to do for a couple of weeks to build up your experience.

With mediums such as LinkedIn and Facebook available for us to network around and build up our career portfolio in an accessible place, there is no reason for us not to give different occupations a go. A job change and the opportunities that they bring, such as traveling to new countries and the ability to work from home are on the increase and are now easier for us to find than ever. It’s no wonder that we get bored so easily in one job knowing that there will be something bigger and better waiting around the corner for us.

Our Friends: Friends come and go and it’s up to you to decide which ones you want to keep for the long-term. The associates that you may have had in school or college could have grown up to have completely different ideals to you, and that’s okay – diversity is what makes the world go round and it’d be boring if everyone were the same. However, it’s when people get too different from each other to be compatible that the problems start to occur. Surround yourself with those who you know will be on your wavelength for the foreseeable future and you’ll be just fine.

Ourselves: We diet, we exercise, we lose weight, we gain weight. We know what looks good on us at some points in our lives and don’t in others. If you want a more drastic option you can find it from Roxy Plastic Surgery, but otherwise we stick to changing our clothes, hair, and makeup to offer us the changes we need to get ourselves through different stages of our lives.

Our Perspective: Our attitudes and values change; what we may have held dear to us when we were fifteen could be totally different now. There are so many things that are accountable for this, but most notably is the formation of new relationships and big events happening in our lives, such as becoming a parent. Everything changes once our lives are flipped around and shared with somebody else; embrace it.

Featured Image By: Pexels

Feb23

Man Cave Or She Shed: What Could Your Garage Be Turned Into?

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Man Cave Or She Shed: What Could Your Garage Be Turned Into?

If you are someone that is looking to move to a bigger home just because you want a place with more rooms, then it might be worth rethinking where you already live. There are rooms that can be divided up and you could even think of extending. One place that often gets forgotten about is the garage. If you have one, it can get left for junk and storage, especially if you don’t use it to store a car. So if your garage does fall into that category, then what could you change it into? No garage or shed to work with? No problem! You can purchase garage and shed kits with duramax building products to get your project started. Here are a few ideas to get you thinking, and you might not need to move after all!

Man Cave or She Shed: If you live in a family home, then having somewhere for you to escape to can be really refreshing. It might not be somewhere that you use on the daily, but having it there and ready is useful. You could set it up with some seating, a television, and perhaps a games console or a games table. It takes that kind of thing out of the main house, which can free up a lot of space. You could even turn part of the garage into a bar for the ultimate place to chill out and relax in. Getting a dual tap keg could be a good idea, then it will be like your very own pub at home. There is a review of the Edgestar Dual Tap Kegerator at this link if it is something that you want to look into. It could be nice to have your own grown-up playroom, right?

Of course, prior to your renovations of the garage, you will want to ensure that the space is in working order. This could mean bringing an electrician in to see if there are any wiring issues or using a company like Ben Garage Doors LLC garage door experts (or a similar one in your local area) if your garage door isn’t working exactly as it should. A man cave or she shed is all about privacy and a garage door on the fritz is not conducive to that when you are trying to unwind and escape.

Cinema Room: How neat would it be to open your Garage Doors and walk into a mini movie theater? If you have children or just like to have lots of people over to your house, then a cinema room could be a really good idea. Make sure that you get the walls insulated or have heaters installed. You could go for traditional cinema seating, or even get lots of bean bags, floor cushions, or recliners to watch movies in style. Set up a projector and paint the walls white and you’ll be good to go. All you’ll need now is the popcorn!

Office: More and more people are choosing to work from home or have freelance based jobs so having a space in the home that is set aside for work is definitely a bonus. You can’t shut the door on your work if your computer is in the living room or in your bedroom. So shut your garage door on it instead! And, if your garage door isn’t functioning properly, do a search for “garage door installation huntsville” (or your local area). After all, you can’t have an office space without a working door!

You will need a large desk, comfy chair, and plenty of storage are essentials for turning the garage into an office. Just make sure that you can get WiFi in there. Otherwise, it just wouldn’t work. If so, you might need to get an extension to reach out into the garage.

Fitness Room: Why pay for a gym membership if you don’t have to, right? You could convert your garage into a fitness room. Then there is no excuse to get in there and get exercising. Some padded flooring is a good idea, especially if you are doing weights. Just make sure that there is an easy way to control the heat in the room, as you’ll probably want to keep cool when you’re working up a sweat.

If you have a garage or spare room, the possibilities to convert it into a cool hangout are endless! All you need is a little imagination to create a space that is perfect for you.

Featured Image By: Wikimedia

Feb23

Make Your Time-Worn Home Sparkle Like New

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Make Your Time-Worn Home Sparkle Like New

When it comes to retail therapy, shopping for little ways to improve your space – whether furniture or paint – always seems to bring about the flutter of excitement. It’s that chance to renew your space with something wow, whether it’s just a little knick knack or big pieces of new treasure. A piece of something new can make your home feel like it just got a makeover. But what happens a couple of months down the line, when your dog has chewed the sofa cushions, your kid has drawn on the walls, or feet have scuffed the upholstery?

Well, before you tut and head out of the door, ready to spend more money on the same thing, why not learn how you can maintain what you have and help your old house sparkle like new again. All it takes is a little ingenuity and some tender, love and care.

A Little Bit Of Polish: There is no simpler way to make your old wood furniture look brand new than to give it a good old polish. Chances are you haven’t done this in a long time, or ever before, in which case you are going to be blown away by the results. However, before you get started, you are going to need the right polish to get the right finish. As a general rule of thumb, if your furniture is well finished, then use a wax or paste, whereas if your furniture is old teak, then a lot of the time oil alone is the best option.

The Relaxation Room: Yes, we are talking about your bathroom. This is your chance to soak in the tub, relax amongst the bubbles, and escape the stresses of life. However, the simple addition of a house plant isn’t going to be enough. So why not give your bath, basin, and shower a good scrub and really make them sparkle. The other thing you can do to upgrade this sanctuary is to go with some renovations by Tile Regrouting. And then, as a little extra something to make your bathroom pop, hang a big, bright, and gorgeous piece of art on the walls. The results will be stunning.

Care About The Wood: Leave your house and then walk back into the front door. If you are wowed, then that is great. But if it all seems a bit flat, then why not get the oil and wax out and bring your wooden floors back to life. Make them shine. This is the first thing you will see when you come home and it will therefore have a huge role to play in how your house feels. But don’t stop there. Head into the kitchen and look at your counter tops. Chances are that they are plagued with scratches and stains of all sorts. The way to bring them back to life is to get the sandpaper out and rub your tops new. Just make sure that you use some food safe oil to protect them from staining easily and to protect you from getting ill.

Featured Image By: Pexels

Feb22

Think Spring Guest Bloggers Series Conclusion

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Think Spring Guest Bloggers Series Conclusion

Hello everyone! I hope that all of you enjoyed my Think Spring guest bloggers series and are now looking forward to the wonderful season that is on the horizon. Thank you to all of my amazing guest bloggers that took part in making this series a success and all of you are welcome back on lifewithlilred anytime! BUT WAIT. There’s more…

I mentioned on a previous post that one of my darling friends, Angela, was creating a special spring time fragrance for the series and that still is a go. Unfortunately, we couldn’t tack it on after Nida’s post because Angela had quite a busy month moving into her new home! But, nevertheless, she is experimenting with scents as we speak and there will soon be a gorgeous spring roll on oil on her Etsy shop for my readers. We will also be offering a promo code, as well, so be on the lookout for the post announcing it! Congratulations on your move, Angela!

Thank you again to my guest bloggers and the scent queen herself, Angela, for helping to create such a fun series on my page! What is your favorite season? What is your favorite part of spring? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Feb22

Blogger Recognition Award #3

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Blogger Recognition Award #3

Hi everyone and happy Hump Day! My beautiful blogging BFF, Nida, from Shopaholic Blogs was kind enough to nominate lifewithlilred for its third Blogger Recognition Award! Nida is one of my dearest blogging friends and has been featured on my page quite often. You can see her most recent work in a spring themed OOTD for my Think Spring guest bloggers series. I absolutely adore Nida and I know that all of you will too, so make sure to check out her page and give it some love! Now, for the rules:

The Rules:

Thank the blogger who nominated you and provide a link to their blog.
Write a post to show your award.
Give a brief story of how your blog started.
Give two pieces of advice to new bloggers.
Select 15 other bloggers you want to give this award to.
Comment on each blog and let them know you have nominated them and provide the link to the post you created.

Because lifewithlilred has already completed this award, as seen here, I am just going to move right along to my nominations. Definitely check out the original post if you are interested in reading about the birth of my blog baby, though!

My Nominees (I am only doing three!):

Thank you again to the lovely Nida for the nomination! Love you! How did you start your blog? Who is enjoying a marg today for National Margarita Day (ME!)? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Feb22

Functionality And Flair: Stylish, Practical Decor Tips

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Have you ever trawled through endless photos of stunning interiors only to be left wondering how on earth people live in such places? It’s all very well designing a beautiful house, but it also has to fulfill a role as a home. You want to fall in love with the look of your home, but you also need it to deliver on a practical level. There’s no point in going all-out with the decor if your home is completely impractical for your lifestyle. If you’re planning a revamp, here are some tips to help you create functional spaces with plenty of flair:

Playing With The Layout: The layout of your home is really important, especially if you have a family or you live with friends or relatives. Modern families tend to prefer open spaces, as they enable you to interact with each other more easily than a series of separate rooms. However, if you live alone or you work from home, you may prefer distinctive zones. Play around with the layout to suit your needs. If you don’t want to knock walls down, you can use furniture or different decor themes to divide up rooms for different purposes. You can also organize your furniture in a way that opens up the room. If you’re short on space, for example, move sofas to the back of the room or invest in an L-shaped couch and place it in the corner. By doing this, you’ll create more space in the middle of the room.

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Love the paintings!

Saving Space: If you have a small house, you don’t have to live with clutter. There are some amazing storage solutions out there, which enable you to secrete your stuff in a stylish manner. You can buy furniture, such as designer sideboards, which serve multiple purposes. A sideboard can not only act as a beautiful focal point for your room but it can also provide valuable storage and a surface to display photographs or ornaments. If you’re tight on floor space, take advantage of your walls. You can hang floating shelves or buy a wall-mounted unit to increase storage.

decor4.pngWall decor is your friend

Keeping Things Casual: If you lead a busy lifestyle, the last thing you want is to spend your free time straightening cushions and making sure that your house looks like a show home. Keeping things casual and relaxed creates a homely vibe and it’ll save you time and stress. If you’re looking for design tips, the Scandinavian approach to interior design should give you some inspiration, and you’ll find a wealth of images online. Focus on comfort, rather than perfection, and embrace that slightly disheveled, lived-in look.

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Such a cool table ^

If you have an interest in interior design, you may be trying to find the perfect blend between functionality and flair. On the one hand, you want your home to look fabulous, but on the other hand, it needs to fit in with your lifestyle. Hopefully, this guide has given you some ideas, and you’re ready to create a gorgeous home that works for you. A home that embraces your personality as well as the needs of yourself and family.