How to set up domain name forwarding

Having recently started selling on Etsy and Dawanda, I made myself some business cards to send out with my orders. However, www.newworldmonkey.etsy.com is not exactly catchy, neither is www.dawanda.com/shop/newworldmonkey. What I really needed was a succinct domain name. It’s also very useful for advertising as it looks more professional to have a proper domain name. I’m not very experienced at these things and I assumed that if I bought a domain name, I’d have to buy hosting and build a website. Luckily, it turns out that you can create a domain name and then forward it to a url of your choice. Here’s how to do it:

1) Find out what domain names are available. I am from the UK so I opted to use www.daily.co.uk which has a special offer on at the moment where domains are half-price. A lot of Americans recommended www.godaddy.com
2) Most of the good domain names are gone. I’m no expert but, based on my research, it seems that the best thing is to get a .com or failing that a .co.uk. You should write down all the possibilities available to you and compare them. A brief, catchy domain name is best but catchy is more important than brief. You also want to include your keyword in your domain name to optimize it.
3) I managed to get www.bohemian-jewellery.com for 10 GBP for 2 years. It doesn’t include my brand name but it is easy to remember and includes my two main keywords.
4) Daily offered me quite a few things to pay extra for. I think it’s best to opt out of everything and buy it later if you find that you need it.
5) Make sure that your domain name is registered in your name.
6) Once my domain name was set up, I went into my control panel on daily and clicked on domain forwarding. I then entered my etsy site and filled in the meta tags and meta description. Daily has a very good guide on this which they provide a link to when you set up domain forwarding.

Now if you go on www.bohemian-jewellery.com it automatically will take you to www.newworldmonkey.etsy.com. I hope this helps, please comment if you have any questions.

Vienna in spring

Vienna is the perfect city to visit in springtime, the sun is bright but not strong and the air is crisp and fresh; perfect for walking around and admiring the magnificence of the city.

We got to Vienna from Cyprus using Blueair. We had a lot of problems booking online with Blueair but eventually we managed to do it. It cost us about 190 euros return each but it would have probably been cheaper if we had left it to closer to the time or if we hadn't gone at easter. Unfortunately, if you have a cat and a full time job, flexibility isn't always easy!

The flight was about 3 hours long. Blueair's flight staff are very pleasant for a budget airline. We arrived in the airport and asked tourist information for help on getting into the city centre. The transfer was incredibly easy, there are regular buses into the city centre and the journey takes about 35 minutes. It costs 11.50 euros return for the transfer. There is also a high speed train connection which takes 15 minutes but is slightly more expensive.

We stayed at the Arcotel Wimberger which is right next to West Banhoff station which is where the bus drops you and seems to be the main train station in Vienna. We got a great deal on the Arcotel Wimberger through Lastminute; it averaged at about 53 GBP per night which is a good price for a luxury hotel. The Arcotel Wimberger is not the most beautiful hotel but it is well located and very peaceful once you are inside. The staff are very friendly and helpful. The hotel has a full fitness and leisure suite with a gym, indoor pool and sauna. Unfortunately, we forgot our swimwear!

When you live in a country like Cyprus, Vienna seems wonderfully elegant and peaceful. The people are very quiet and polite - always quick to offer help if you seem lost. None of the endless chattering of the Mediterraneans! The city centre is a UNESCO world heritage site and is incredibly beautiful and well-maintained.

Getting around Vienna is easy. There are trams and an easy to use underground train system. A ticket on the underground is 1.80 euros - although no one ever seems to check your ticket and there are no barriers. If found without a ticket you will get fined 70 euros so be careful. However, most of the time you can just walk everywhere. I would recommend getting the underground to Graben street on your first day and then walking from there. Graben is the main shopping street and is right in the very centre of the city. All around you there are beautiful buildings and most of the shops themselves are housed in gorgeous buildings. It's worth taking a look at the H&M on Graben street as it's housed in a beautiful old wood-panelled building.

It's also worth looking at the butterfly house as it's located in an exquisite glass building - it's next to the Mozart memorial. There is a tram that circles through most of the main sites, I think it's the number 1 tram.

In Vienna each district is called a bezirk and most of the main sites are in the 1st bezirk (the centre), if you have time, it's also worth looking at Joseph Stadt as it has a few vintage stores and some less touristy bars and cafes.

Definitely the best thing about Vienna is the Naschmarkt. Get the U4 line to Kettenbrueckengasse. When you come out of the station you will be in the section of the market for antiques and basically tat. Head to your right, towards the Secession building, and you will hit the food section of the market. It is incredible. There are stalls selling all manner of delicacies, fruits, chocolates and wines. There are lots of stalls where you can take a seat and order a plate of nibbles with prosecco. At the edge of the market, there are a number of mini-restaurants serving Austrian, Asian and Mediterranean food. The prices are reasonable and the atmosphere is really good.

When you are in Vienna, you must visit one of the traditional coffee houses. I would recommend going to Cafe Sperl on Gummpendorf strabe. All the cafes are wonderful and make you feel like you have stepped onto the set of an Agatha Christie novel. Waiters wear black tie and most of the cafes have chandeliers and lovely high ceilings. The coffees are wonderful - I recommend trying the Marie Therese which has orange liquer in it. Most cafes have a selection of cakes available - try the sachertorte or strudel with vanilla sauce.

We were in Vienna for two days and we found that that was just enough time as, unless you love museums, there is not that much to do there. However, it's a perfect destination for a relaxing weekend of beautiful scenery and tasty food!

Max Mara Discount Store, Nicosia

I recently discovered the Max Mara discount store in Nicosia. It is amazing! Like most people with an average job, I never thought Max Mara would be in my price-range, then I discovered this mecca of discount fashion.

The shop is hidden away above Marella on Mnasiadou street, just off Makarios Avenue. You have to go down the alleyway on the righthand side of Marella and you will see a small door to your left. Go up the stairs and there it is.

The shop stocks discount clothes from the whole Max Mara group:

Max Mara is the most expensive line with grown up tailored clothes and evening dresses.

Sportsmax is the slightly cheaper line with weekend casual clothes.

Marella is also slightly cheaper and is less high fashion than Max Mara.

Max & Co is aimed at young women and is a bit more hip than the rest of the clothes.

Marina Rinaldi is plus-sized clothes.

The Max Mara discount store in Nicosia contains some amazing bargains - such as a range of shoes reduced from hundreds to 40 euros. I got a gorgeous coat for only 50 euros reduced from hundreds. There are suits, knitwear, bags, jewellery and perfume.

Peanut Butter and Nutella Cookies

I recently made cookies for the first time; I usually make biscuits and a rather leaden shortbread. Anyway, I amalgamated a number of recipes in order to bake some peanut butter and nutella cookies. They worked out so well that when I offered them to my colleagues at work, they were all begging for the recipe. The best thing about this recipe for peanut butter and nutella cookies is that you don’t need a weighing scale. Also, don’t be put off by the name; the resulting cookies have a subtle flavour which tastes more of orange, nuts and caramel. Here it is in all its glory. It’s a rough recipe so don’t feel that you have to stick with it exactly and if you discover any ways to improve it then please leave a comment!

You will need:
Approximately 100g of butter – I didn’t have weighing scales so I used just under half of a 225g pack of butter
One cup of caster sugar – a small coffee cup should do (not a mug)
3 tablespoons of nutella
One orange with the skin on
2 tablespoons of peanut butter (crunchy or smooth, you’re call)
One egg
At least half a pack of plain flour
1 teaspoon of baking powder

• Mix together in a large bowl the caster sugar, butter, nutella and peanut butter. You can use a wooden spoon and your muscles or a whisk. I just used a spoon and it was fine (and I’m a small woman).
• Once you have a smooth mixture, grate in the skin of the orange. Mix some more.
• Whisk the whole egg.
• Add half the egg to the main mixture. Add about one cup of plain flour (sieved) with one teaspoon of baking powder.
• Mix until smooth.
• Add the rest of the egg and more sieved flour as necessary. The flour doesn’t have to be measured exactly. Just keep adding small amounts of flour until you have a firm, smooth dough which isn’t too sticky.
• Cover the mixture and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
• Take out the mixture and shape into 1 inch dough balls. Place them on a plate. Put topping on them. I put half an almond on some and a lump of chocolate on some (just normal Cadburys chocolate).
• Refrigerate the uncooked cookies for another 15 minutes. You don’t have to put the dough in the fridge but if you want soft, chewy cookies; I’d advise doing it. If you don’t refrigerate them then you will get a more crisp biscuit.
• Preheat the oven to 180C.
• Place the cookies on baking paper – do not grease it.
• Put them in the over for about 15 minutes but check them regularly. You are aiming for them to be gently baked on the outside and slightly soft inside.
• Let them cool and store them in an airtight container.

This is a great recipe because you can play with it. I am adding nutmeg to my next batch!

Cypriot Jewellery

One of the things that one notices in Cyprus, is how much the women love jewelry. Obviously, women everywhere love jewellery but Cypriot women really love it. With their warm colouring, they are also able to wear pretty much any kind of metal.

It therefore comes as no surprise to learn that there have been many unearthings of ancient jewellery in Cyprus.

Around 750-500 B.C. the most popular form Cypriot jewellery was spiral earings of solid metal, which were worn by both men and women. These spirals are found in varying sizes and metals, and some have elaborate ornaments.

The spirals rings tended to be made of bronze, silver or gold-plated bronze. The combination of bronze and gold in jewellery was a Cypriot speciality.

It is interesting that both men and women wore jewellery in Cyprus at this time.

Another popular style of jewelry at this time in Cyprus was these sort of strange elongated hoops.

During the Hellenistic and Roman periods, Cypriot jewellery lost its distinctiveness and is often mistaken for Greek and Roman jewellery. The increased levels of trading meant that more gemstones and pearls were incorporated into pieces. The levels of craftsmanship increased hugely and the number of different styles grew.

Tetris Jewelry

Valentines day has hit us. For women I think the importance of the day and our relationship with it is formed at school. Ask any woman and she will have some story of a school V-day experience. The disappointment of not receiving a card, the humiliation of roses being handed out to the popular girls, the injustice of some very undeserving girl getting flooded with gifts. During those hormonal days, Valentines day seemed like a day designed to emphasise your success (or lack of success) with the opposite sex.

By the time you actually have a partner with you on Valentines day, it has been built up in your mind as this day of wonder that other people have been enjoying each year whilst you have been sitting at home watching bad TV. I genuinely think it is this build up that means women have such high expectations of the day. I am very lucky in that my partner is a very considerate man who always plans something even though he doesn't believe in the day. However, if your partner disappoints you then try to focus on all the many things that they do do for you on all the other days of the year. Generally, men who are good at the big gestures are not good at the real things that count. You only have to look at the fact that footballer John Terry is planning a big surprise for Toni Terry and has given her 100 red roses. I know that I would rather have a partner who is there to support me than a partner who sleeps around but buys me lots of gifts.

On that note, I've found the perfect gift for a tetris fanatic to give to his special lady next gift-giving time. Tetris has designed a range of jewellery based around the little tetris shapes. They do have a pleasant simplicity to them and would no doubt be happily worn by women who like nostalgic, ironic items. However, I am very disappointed to see that the colours are not quite as bright as those of the tetris game.

Live beetle worn as jewellery

You put on your outfit in the morning and you think "blah this needs a bit of bling". Most of us ladies reach for a necklace or perhaps a brooch. One woman decided that what she really needed was a bit of moving sparkle for when she made the border crossing from Mexico into the United States. That way people would be so distracted by the glittery, scuttling thing that they wouldn't notice her muffin top, bad hair or perhaps dodgy documents. Unfortunately for her, the distraction attempt didn't work and she got stopped by customs officers. Turns out you need live plant pest importation documentation if you want to take your living jewelry around with you. Glad to know that if you ever want to import a pest, you just need the right documentation. I'll be rounding up some cockroaches to take to Rush Limbaugh's house next time I'm in the U.S.

The woman got off with a mild ticking off and the confiscation of her "gem". Personally, I think she should have been prosecuted for animal cruelty and forced to try having some gems stuck to her skin with superglue.

Environ-Mental

An icelandic jewelry designer, Hafsteinn Juliusson, has come up with a novel way to bring nature into the lives of city dwellers. Juliusson has designed a range of rings which are inset with icelandic moss. The rings have to be watered regularly and can last up to six months if they are looked after.




Juliusson states that the collection is an "experiment in drawing nature toward man, as nature being the presupposition of life." The rings cost £480 each.


Juliusson has definitely come up with something unique and wearing one of his rings would most likely get you attention. However, one does wonder how the ring would survive through day to day life - washing your hands, getting dressed, putting on your coat. Most likely you would end up paying £480 for a ring that after two days has a large hole in it with a few bits of soil.
For more information about Iceland visit http://www.icelandic-traveller.com/

Human Jewellery

Perhaps this christmas, you may find yourself trying to find a gift for the person who has everything. You will have trawled the net and the streets to find something quirky and unique and just right for them. If this person that you are shopping for also has a taste for the macabre, then I might just have found the perfect gift for you to give them. Both environmentally friendly and one of a kind, jewelry made from human parts could be the answer to your yuletide quest.

An Australian jewellery designer called Polly Van der Glas has come up with a collection of jewellery made from human teeth and hair (sterilised of course). These teeth rings would definitely be a conversation starter if worn on a date or basically anywhere in public.

These hair bracelets are slightly more discrete

and may be a good way to wean people off chewing their hair.

However, the best bit of the collection is this delightful hair purse. Take care not to hold it anywhere in front of your crotch or chin area - it could rather confuse people.

Aren't we all glad that there are people out there

with the time and the inclination to keep pushing style boundaries?

How to make Christmas less expensive

Having recently taken in a stray kitten, my spare cash has rather shrunk. For the first time in a while, I have been thinking about why we all feel we have to spend so much money at Christmas.

A while back, I did a post on home-made gifts. Home made gifts can help you to ease your cash flow a little. I also think that it's a good idea to cut out unnecessary gifts. Gift-giving should be limited to close family and your partner; do we really need to be receiving gifts at Christmas from more than about 5 people?? Excessive gift giving is just a way to be more materialistic than we already are and find an excuse to shop.

A good idea is to combine a home made gift with a small bought gift. For instance, why not make use of special offers and get a few books and then give people a book and a home made gift. Another idea is to make your Christmas cards yourself. Buy some coloured card and cut out humorous pictures from old magazines and newspapers. Stick them on the card and add a funny caption.

Food is always a great home made gift to receive. Another good idea is something that I saw in The Guardian today. It sounds crazy but you can "knit" jewellery for the women in your life. You will need to know how to knit (easy to learn, just google it) and then you will need metal wire and some beads.

Instructions:

1. Thread all the beads that you want to use onto your wire. To work out how many beads to use multiply the amount of stitches per row by the length of the bracelet in centimetres (eg if you are doing a six stitch wide, 12cm long bracelet, I'd thread at least 72 beads on).

2. Cast on as many stitches as you think want and knit one row. As you knit the first stitch of the second row, bring one of the beads up to your needles and knit it into the fabric. Repeat for every stitch of the second row.

3. Continue knitting every odd row without beads and every even row with beads - this will ensure all the beads stay on the same side of the bracelet.

4. Once the bracelet or choker is long enough, cast off then fix a jewellery clasp to either end of it.

The end result looks pretty good and would make a great gift for someone.