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I am not particularly creative


I am not particularly creative, but I successfully used the ancient technique of gilding - applying ultra-thin leaves of metal with liquid adhesive - to transform a bedroom dresser and reach successful marital compromise.

The project involved a tall, five-drawer chest, the one piece of furniture my husband insisted on bringing from his bachelor pad into the first home we bought together. He loved the dresser's functionality and big drawers. I hated the dark wood and dated, Queen Anne-style brass pulls that clashed with the mirrored end tables, shimmery bedspread and shiny silver nail-head trim I'd chosen to decorate our bedroom.

My Chicago-based decorator friend Joe Paul Bingham suggested silver leafing to make the dresser fit the room, but I was intimidated and found little guidance on exactly how the process works. Joe Paul's advice was to tackle the project while drinking some wine and not be too particular about the application. That may be easy for an artistic talent like him, but not for a left-brain person like me who usually depends on a clear set of step-by-step directions for any project.

But it turned out Joe Paul was right - aluminum leaf appears micro-thin and fragile but is surprisingly forgiving. It doesn't always go on perfectly, but those cracks and imperfections give the dresser a kind of antique look. Any major gaps can easily be covered by pressing down a little more leaf that gets picked up by the adhesive.

Leaf is available in a variety of metals, and I chose aluminum over silver because it's easier to handle, less expensive and has a shinier look, which I like. You can pick up metal leaf at a craft store, but for larger projects, professional supplier Gilded Planet in San Francisco ships aluminum leaf in packs of 500 for just $57.

After calling their experts, I sprang for the more expensive patent leaf because each 5.5-inch square comes attached to a sheet of wax paper for easier handling by a klutz like me. I gave the dresser's measurements, and they said I needed 150 leaves to cover it, at a cost of $84.

The folks at Gilded Planet also sent me a quart of adhesive to bond the leaf to the dresser, a professional gilder's brush to apply the leaf and a quart of acrylic clear coat to seal it when I was done, all for another $67. I also spent $65 at Home Depot on sandpaper, a can of aluminum-colored spray paint to prime, new glass knobs and pulls to replace the old brass hardware, and wood putty to fill the holes.

Bean bags are one of the most comfortable pieces


Bean bags are one of the most comfortable pieces of furniture you will ever come across. The very fact that they alter shape as per your sitting position on them makes them really nice and comfy. However, there is something else you may want to consider for your drawing room. It looks like a bean bag but is more than a bean bag. What we are talking about is a pouf. Poufs are items of Moroccan furniture that can also adorn your drawing room.

A pouf has some basic characteristics that makes it better than a bean bag. And when we discuss poufs we are talking about Moroccan poufs because these are the best in the market. Let us compare them with bean bags.

First of all, the filling. When you look inside a bean bag you find these white, soft balls that get crushed when you crush them. They are piled into the bean bag and this is what makes them roll and let the bag acquire the shape as per your sitting posture. However, you need to replace the old balls with fresh balls every six months or so. Poufs, on the other hand, have their filling of shredded foam. This makes them more durable and stronger. They last forever. Because of the firmness they can be used as footrest as well. You cannot do that with bean bags. Well, you can but your feet will keep sinking.

The second benefit of poufs is in their varied colors. A bean bag comes in standard leather colors like black and brown. A pouf, on the other hand comes in all colors. You have the standard colors and then there are other colors like gold, crimson and beige and so on. You can also find patterned poufs that come in two or three colors. Because of the different colored poufs available you can choose them to with any other color. Whatever is the color combination of your drawing room you can always find a pouf to match that.

Third, the best poufs come directly from the Marrakesh Souk. There are websites that directly import them and sell them in the American market. These Moroccan poufs are created from genuine Moroccan leather and they are totally handmade - embroidered and crafted. This is something you will not find happening with any bean bag. They are mostly assembled products. And even if you find a handcrafted bean bag the price is surely going to hit the roof.

You don't have a specific breed in mind


You don't have a specific breed in mind; you'd rather give a second chance to a pet from a local shelter or rescue group.
Adopting a shelter animal has lots of advantages. The animals have often been health-checked, vaccinated and spayed or neutered. Adult animals are beyond the destructive stage and might already have some training, including being housetrained. And you know exactly what you're getting as far as size and personality.

Some shelters have counselors to help you find the pet that's right for your personality and lifestyle. They might offer free or discounted training classes to adopters-or postadoption behavior counseling to help you and Fuzzy get off to the right start. All in all, getting a pet from a shelter can be a pretty good deal.

But a lot of people, me included, worry about facing all those animals and being unable to choose. Taking a cue from Santa-making a list and checking it twice-can simplify the process.

If this will be a family pet, sit down with everyone and talk about what you're after. For dogs, do you want an athlete to jog with or a couch potato to watch TV with? Small, medium or large?

For cats and dogs, do you want an active puppy or kitten or a calm grownup? A beautiful long-haired coat or an easy-care short coat? What color? If you have small children or a compromised immune system and are concerned about scratches, you can ask the shelter to show you only declawed cats.

Write down what everyone in the family wants. Then discuss those needs until you reach agreement, and write out the final list of characteristics. Having it with you at the shelter will help you stay focused. You can also check Petfinder or the shelter's website beforehand to see exactly which pets are available that meet your criteria.
But don't go to the shelter yet, especially if you're a first-time pet owner. To improve your chances of making a successful adoption, see if you can test-drive a friend or neighbor's pet for a week.

Even if you aren't able to have the pet in your home, signing on to walk, feed, groom, play with and clean up after the animal, rain or shine, will give you a taste of what you have to look forward to over the next 10 to 15 years (and your neighbors will be thrilled to have a break).

Many wealthy tourists from China


Many wealthy tourists from China and Russia have been travelling to Thailand to buy luxury watches. Their purchases range between 100,000 and one million baht and have lifted sales to tourists to 50-60% of PMT's total.

"The stronger baht is also a positive factor for the imported watch market as prices of luxury watches in Thailand are close to those in neighbouring countries. So, Thai buyers are now buying more luxury watches locally," he said.

Additionally, the US and Europe still have economic problems, so international watchmakers are interested more in the Asian market and launching more new collections in this region.

"We will wait and see the performance of the Pheu Thai-led government over the next three to six months. If it can lure back foreign investors and tourists, then we will decide to expand our showroom by year-end," Mr Narun said.

Purij Mahadamrongkul, managing director of Seiko (Thailand) Co, said sales in its fiscal year to March 31 grew by 15% to 800 million baht despite the political turmoil in May last year. Many customers have shifted to buying more mid-priced watches than high-end watches.

The company expects sales in the current fiscal year that began on April 1 will rise by 25% to one billion baht. It will offer at least 100 special and limited collections, compared with 30-50 in the previous year.

"Watch demand continues to increase and customer response to limited collections or editions has been better than expectations," said Mr Purij.

The company sold 2,500 watches in its Seiko Snow Monster collection in just three hours, he said. It will take bookings for the Seiko Yellow Sumo, a limited edition driver's watch collection, at the Central International Watch Fair, Aug 24-Sept 27.

Sasawat Tanmanasiri, vice-president of TSL International Co, the distributor of Tag Heuer watches, said first-half sales grew at a double-digit rate on par with an earlier projection, though the figure remained below the peak seen in 2008.

TSL will add a Tag Heuer smartphone, priced at 200,000 baht, in the next few months at its three boutiques at Gaysorn, Siam Center and MBK.

A dead terrier was recovered from the bottom


A dead terrier was recovered from the bottom of Rideau Falls on Sunday afternoon after someone put the dog in a bag and threw it into the Ottawa River.

The dog was recovered near Sussex Drive, just below the falls. Firefighters said the dog had been in the water for an extended period, and resuscitation was not possible.
The call came in to Ottawa Fire Services just after 4 p.m. It was not clear whether the dog was alive at that point, firefighters said.

However, about the same time, the Ottawa Humane Society had received a call from a passerby, who was upset to learn that since the society's emergency worker was already attending to another incident, it would be a few hours before they could arrive to recover the dog's body.

Sharon Miko, director of operations at the Ottawa Humane Society, said they would be investigating the incident.
"Obviously, if this was the deliberate drowning of a helpless animal it was an extreme act of cruelty," she said. "It's also a criminal offence."

Miko said the humane society intended to fully investigate the matter.
"We always urge people if they're not able to care for their animal to bring it to the Ottawa Humane Society," she said.

Though the humane society recently reported that its new facility was at capacity, Miko said they would always find a way to take in an animal that could no longer be looked after.
"It's terrible when we're faced with situations like this," she said. "We are an open admission facility, and (for) anybody who had no other option, we would never turn and animal away."

The technology behind the bags


The technology behind the bags has changed since they were introduced. Some cars have side air bags and overhead air bags that come out of the vehicle's roof. Some inflate based on the size of the driver. In 2001, federal guidelines became more advanced.

"They've modified the deployment patterns that can change depending on the criteria," Freeman said. "Sometimes it's the size of the driver. For example, some women are short and sit closer to the steering wheel. The computer reads that and deploys accordingly."

But when the air bag deploys hasn't changed much. Most won't work when a car is rear-ended, unless the car is pushed into another vehicle. Some will not deploy in rollover accidents. Some will not deploy if a car is hit from the side.

"Sometimes people think they will deploy under any crash," Freeman said. "They think, 'Wow. I just got hit pretty hard but the air bag didn't deploy.' But really it depends on the sensors and the package in the particular car."

And even when there is a head-on impact, most air bags deploy in stages depending on the impact. Porter said that in a low-impact crash, only part of the bag will deploy and at a different speed than it would during a high-impact crash.

"The faster the car is moving when it has an impact with another car or something else, the faster the air bag is designed to deploy," Porter said. "A crash at a higher speed requires a faster deployment because of the speed of the car."

Gemma seems to be very happy


Gemma seems to be very happy. Last season she was on the run, while dealing with parental issues. This season she appears to have found peace. Or, has she? During the panel a fan asked Sagal will Gemma shoot anyone in the season opener. Sagal stated "no", then hesitated to reflect. She then said, no, no shooting in the season 4 premiere. However, there was a slight implication that Gemma will shoot someone in one of the subsequent episodes. Gemma is "Bad Ass" as always.

Otto is shown in jail receiving a package. In it is a hard-boiled egg. However, inside the egg is a razor blade. Otto licks the egg-yolk off the blade and that's all we see of Otto.

When asked about Otto's role on the show, Sutter said that he uses Otto as a device to add information. So, it will be interesting to see how that razor blade plays out in the premiere.

There's a great scene of all of SAMCRO walking out of prison. It feels like a spaghetti western long shot of heroes or desperadoes walking off to battle. Opie is on the outside waiting for them. Jax and Opie greet each other. Both state that they wouldn't miss today. For Opie (aka the guy who helped him get revenge on Stahl for killing Donna), his best friend is free and for Jax he's happy to see his best friend get married.

Kozak (Kenny Johnson) has been voted into the club. Tig (Kim Coates) is actually happy for the addition, despite past grievances. They hug and hop on their motorcycles.

As the members of SAMCRO hop on their motorcycles on bike off, they put their middle fingers up to the prison cell and that queues the opening theme song.

This season looks like it will be an excellent start of a new direction for SAMCRO. The big news is Danny Trejo's role as the leader of a new Mexican organization that will have dealings with the crew as well as the club's relationship with the Russians. We'll also explore some in depth the levels of racism in Charming with Rockmond Dunbar and his relationship to the club.

Transformations of heritage fashion houses


Transformations of heritage fashion houses have been one of the past decade's greatest success stories. Parisian couture houses such as Balenciaga, Balmain and Nina Ricci have all undergone incredible - and incredibly money-spinning - reinventions. Not to mention our very own Burberry, which has become the shining model for prospective fashion make-overs.

But last week Mulberry - the 40-year-old, Somerset-based brand best known for its sturdy leather totes - trounced them all with news that the company was now worth a billion pounds. Bloomberg reported a 526 per cent increase in Mulberry's stock at a time when most luxury retailers are happy to simply keep selling anything at all.

What's more, its incredible celebrity appeal (It-girls from Alexa Chung to Kirsten Dunst are all confirmed fans of the label's bags) got its biggest boost to date a few weeks ago when the Duchess of Cambridge set off on her first official tour, toting the brand's must-have bag, an ￡850 navy blue Polly Push Lock.
But how did a leather goods firm that started in a garage in Chilcompton, near Bath, become one of the world's hottest - and most successful - fashion labels?

Roger Saul founded Mulberry at his Somerset home in 1971, using local craftsmen to create accessories, including leather belts, which were sold first to London boutiques such as the cultish Biba, and then in Europe to brands including Kenzo, and in America to Bloomingdale's. Saul's brand expanded quickly, becoming synonymous with traditional Britishness; by the late Eighties, his grained leather shoulder bags and weekend carry-alls were a luxury status symbol, beloved in the shires for their classic lines and sturdy British design.

Environmentalists are renewing a push


Environmentalists are renewing a push for a countywide ban on plastic shopping bags, an issue county officials have studied more than 18 months but one that may finally be headed toward a vote.

Environment California, a statewide nonprofit, is pushing the ban along with other local advocacy groups as a way to protect the ocean, saying plastic bags often end up in the sea, polluting the water and being mistaken for food by marine life. They also hope enough cities pass bans that a statewide law becomes inevitable.

"To sea turtles, plastic bags look like jellyfish, one of their tasty and delectable treats," said Stephen Michael, a director with Environment California, during a small press conference Wednesday at Natural Bridges State Beach.

The county was among the first to ban polystyrene takeout containers, and has been studying a plastic bag ban since 2009.

But a final vote has been delayed while a lawsuit over Manhattan Beach bag ban played out. That case was decided last week, and environmentalists are now eager to push forward.

"So many people we talk to say, 'Santa Cruz has already passed a ban, right?' But it hasn't. It's very, very odd that a lot of places have passed it before Santa Cruz, being such a progressive town," said Lauren Gilligan, a program coordinator with Save Our Shores.

Board of Supervisors Chairman Mark Stone would like a vote as soon as possible, but said it may wait until after a September meeting of a multijurisdictional waste management meeting in September. That meeting could lead to local cities such as Santa Cruz and Capitola considering a ban as well.

"It's one thing for the county to do it, but it's better if other jurisdictions do the same thing," said Stone, who wants the ban to withstand - or avert - potential litigation.

Santa Cruz County's proposed law bans plastic carryout bags, but not the use of plastic for produce bags or pre-packaged items. It also implements a 10-cent per bag fee in the first year after the law passes and a 25-cent per bag fee after that, and requires paper bags to be made from 40 percent recycled material.

The industry-supported Save the Plastic Bag Coalition, which has sued over bag bans, disputes the harm caused by plastic carryout bags, particularly when compared to paper bags. They say claims about an aquatic gyre of discarded diapers, empty milk jugs and plastic grocery bags is inaccurate. [According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, the Pacific Garbage Patch consists of small pieces of debris, often plastics, circulating in the sea, and is largely invisible to the naked eye].

He's parted ways with two remarkably


He's parted ways with two remarkably successful swing coaches in Butch Harmon and Hank Haney. He's divorced from his wife, Elin. He ditched a putter that helped him earn more than $100 million. He's been unable to regain his health.

And he's lost the aura that made him the greatest golfer of his generation, perhaps of all time.

But he still had Stevie.
There were many who didn't care much for Williams, who barged through galleries with the bag on his shoulder, seemingly determined to mow down anyone in his way. He did not suffer fools -- nor photographers, reporters or spectators.

But he was doing the job he was asked to do and was loyal to one man, Woods, anyone else be damned. Say what you want about him, but Williams' reputation as a caddie is impeccable, and Woods credited him several times for helping him through some tough spots.

One notable example came on the 72nd hole of the 2008 U.S. Open at Torrey Pines, where Williams talked Woods into hitting a sand wedge from the rough -- not the pitching wedge Woods wanted -- knowing his boss would be pumped up, the spin generated from the shot helping him hit it closer to the hole. You know the rest. Tiger holed the birdie putt to force the playoff he won over Mediate the next day.

"That was the most notable example,'' said Haney, who was Woods' coach for six major titles but left him following the Players Championship in 2010. "There were numerous times, literally in every tournament, where a caddie has an opportunity to help influence a player's decision. In my observation, there was an inordinate amount of times where Steve Williams would influence Tiger in a positive direction.