TresSugar

Before and After: Personalizing an Ikea Roller Blind

Casa Community — Tue, 23 Nov 2010 08:00:20 PST

Here's a post from CasaSugar Community member BirdHouse Family from the Su Casa group:

We needed something to cover the window in our main washroom. Washroom windows are always a challenge. We wanted some privacy, of course, but I love natural light and did not want to cover up the window with opaque curtains or blinds. So we bought a white Ikea Enje roller blind. Enje roller blinds are great because they provide privacy but still let in a ton of light.

After we installed the blind, we thought it looked a bit plain, so I decided to decorate it with some paint. I drew a tree design with pencil and filled it in with brown acrylic paint. The paint took to the fabric really well. I was inspired by the design on this shower curtain at Urban Outfitters.

Continue reading to see the after photo.

Right Touch? South Korea Reserves Job of Masseuse For Blind

CitizenSugar — Fri, 19 Sep 2008 03:00:19 PDT

If you find yourself in South Korea in search of a massage, if you visit a legal parlor, you won't even need a towel for modesty. That's because for the past century the job of masseur has been reserved for the legally blind. Just over 7,000 blind people with magic fingers work in 1,000 massage parlors throughout the country, but it's not enough to keep up with demand. A black market of massage has sprung up supplying another 150,000 to 700,000 illegal, sighted, masseuses who can face fines from $450 to $4,500 and up to three years in jail.

The stand off over the right to rub down has led to violent protests and suits filed by the sighted masseurs asking the Constitutional Court of South Korea to declare unconstitutional the blind-only law and a violation of their rights. A ruling on the matter could come next week.

To see both sides of the argument,

read more. One sighted and illegal masseur says, “It breaks my heart when I think that what I am doing every day, what I consider my calling, is a crime. We are not trying to steal jobs from the blind. We just want to share the market. We want to live as normal citizens, not as criminals.” However a blind masseur is fearful of losing his niche saying, “I have a wife and two children to support. If I lose this job, I will have to beg on the streets. How can taking away one job from people who only have one compare with taking one job away from sighted people who have a hundred jobs to choose from?” Should the government be able to assign one profession to a group of people? Is it discriminatory to those left out - and does it hamper the progress of those the law is trying to help? Or is it a perfect plan, matching abilities with their opposite? Source

TouchSight: The Camera For the Blind

GeekSugar — Thu, 14 Aug 2008 13:00:34 PDT

It's wonderful that electronics designers are starting to take disabilities into consideration - even if they first start with a hack, like that Rock Band mod for wheelchairs.

This concept design is a camera - for the blind. Called the TouchSight, it would utilize Braille and the other senses to both take photos and then download them later.

While the TouchSight is only a concept now, it was designed by someone from Samsung China - a company that knows a few things about cameras, so there's actual hope for this idea to come to fruition.

Same-Size Bucks Discriminate Against the Seeing-Impaired

LibertySugar — Tue, 20 May 2008 15:45:49 PDT

United States currency discriminates against the blind, according to a federal appeals court ruling handed down today. Because the dollar amounts of same-size skrilla are not distinguishable by touch, the visually impaired suffer unreasonably.

The Treasury Department fell short of demonstrating why it would be too burdensome to design distinguishable dollars. The legal opinion stated that the cost of the redesign is not out of line with other design decisions made by the Treasury. The United States is the only country that prints paper currency with an identical size and feel, no matter the denomination. Canada's dollar, for example, has Braille on it.

So how much discriminatory currency is it going to take to right this wrong? To find out how much,

read more. New machines for printing the blind-proof bills will cost about $228 million. But this amount just opens a Pandora's box of prices - it will cost around $3.5 billion to make vending machines compatible, not to mention wallets, ATMs . . . To what ends should the US go to make sure the blind know whether they have George Washington or Benjamin Franklin in their wallets? Does the fact that the US is the only country that does not accommodate the blind in this manner demonstrate that the request is reasonable? Source

Pretty Cool: Heart-y Hair Clips

Miriam Lacey — Wed, 08 Feb 2012 13:36:15 PST

Having perfect Valentine's Day hair doesn't need to mean spending hours on curling, straightening, or updo making. In fact, the best style for the Day of Love is probably just the one you're most comfortable wearing. Instead of subjecting your hair to an evening of discomfort, why not try a heart-shaped hair clip? You can put them anywhere, they aren't just for Valentine's, and whether you've got a blind date or a night out with the girls planned, they're a perfect conversation starter. Clockwise from top: try a pretty shabby-chic hand-stitched heart ($5), level up your favorite gamer's sentiments with this pixel heart clip ($20), and give your getup a touch of instant retro glamour with this red sequin tattoo clip ($28).

In Defense of the Chronically Late Mom

BabyCenter — Wed, 08 Feb 2012 10:01:11 PST

We're excited to share this post from our partners at BabyCenter! Every week, we will be bringing you the best parenting and lifestyle stories from the experts at BabyCenter, including this post from Betsy Shaw about being late for school.

If I were to wear a scarlet letter it would be T.

T for tardy. T for turd ball. T for totally inept mother.

We are late for school with such alarming regularity it’s embarrassing. The last time we were on time, after a mini snowstorm that excited my children enough to urge them into their snowsuits and outside at 6:30 a.m., we got to school five minutes early to find it dark and empty. Delayed opening. I was apparently the only mother who didn’t get the memo.

Calling Charlie Brown…

Being late for school brings up a vicious brew of conflicting emotion in me. On the one hand I just don’t care. Life is short. Far too short to risk traumatizing your children with a bullwhip and terrorizing morning walkers and squirrels, not to mention my own white-knuckled children, speeding our way to school like Toad on a motorcar bender each weekday morning.

On the other hand I am ashamed, deeply embarrassed, to be “that mom.” All the other moms can do it, even the single ones. Why. Can’t. I? What’s wrong with me?

I complained about this once to a woman from South Carolina who I met on my Guatemala trip and she told me her school started at 7:30. She also made it clear her kids were never late.

Never late.

Keep reading for more of Betsy's reasoning for being late.

Save Thousands Just By Itemizing Deductions

LearnVest — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 00:15:01 PST

We're thrilled to present this smart LearnVest story here on Savvy!

Though we all groan about having to pay taxes, the government is nice enough not to tax us on the full amount of our earnings.

There are two big buckets of deductions the government gives us: the first is called above the line, and the second is called below the line, which we’ll cover here. (The “line” these deductions refer to is a literal line on your 1040 form for the Adjusted Gross Income.)

Below the Line Deductions

Below the line deductions come in two types: one is called the standard deduction, and the second is called itemized deductions.

The Standard Deduction

The standard deduction is an amount of income that the government will not tax any taxpayer on. Most people take the standard deduction on their returns, which is worth anywhere from $5,800 to $11,600, and opt out of the whole process of itemizing. It’s as simple as saying, “I’m a single person (or married filing singly or married filing jointly), and yes, I would like the standard deduction.” For some people, this is just fine. After all, that’s a lot of money, and taking just the standard deduction makes your taxes simpler and faster. What’s not to like?

Check out the chart below to find out what the standard deduction is for your filing status.

Link Time - How to Survive a Blind Date

TresSugar — Fri, 25 Feb 2011 13:00:26 PST

How to survive a blind date: six easy steps - Em & Lo
Is bad breath the ultimate dating dealbreaker? - YourTango
15 celebs who've (allegedly) had sex in public - The Frisky
Do moms miss out on all the fun? - LilSugar
Can affairs save marriages? - Huffington Post
How to find strength in Britney Spears - The Hairpin
White online daters rarely date black people - Betty Confidential
Vacation ideas inspired by Oscar movies - SavvySugar

8 Things Couples Should Consider Before Setting Up a Joint Bank Account

Business Insider — Tue, 24 Jan 2012 00:15:24 PST

We're thrilled to present this smart Business Insider story here on Savvy!

When it comes to marriage or a long-term domestic partnership, the whole "what's mine is yours" idea isn't always the wisest way to approach your finances.

That doesn't mean there isn't a way to make joint bank accounts work, but Dr. Taffy Wagner, CEO of Money Talk Matters, cautions partners against ditching their financial independence altogether.

"Couples are all in love and want everything to be joint," Wagner says. "But when they automatically put all of their money in one account and one person is managing it, a lot of the time the other person has no idea what is going on."

That's no way to start the beginning of your lives together, so we asked a few experts for tips every couple should consider before merging their finances.

Sharing is caring. One way to treat a joint bank account is like a mutual money pot for household bills and other expenses, such as groceries and vacations. Financial planner Casey Weade said he and his wife maintain joint savings accounts for big budget goals like vacations, which they both contribute to equally each month. (See eight tips for drafting a budget.)

Don't ditch your own piggy bank. "Each person should have an individual account that they can use to
pamper each other or themselves without it affecting the household bills," Wagner says. "The key to their individual accounts is both would have access to each other's account if needed so there are no secrets."

Read on for more.

Couture Fashion Week: Atelier Versace

Hannah Weil — Mon, 23 Jan 2012 07:36:05 PST

Nothing could kick-start Couture Fashion Week quite like Atelier Versace's confident return to the ring after an eight-year hiatus. Donatella Versace presented the label's couture collection for the first time since 2004, marking its resurrection in signature brights and distinctly sexy silhouettes. All the elements we've come to rely on from a Versace collection were present - curve-hugging bodices, brilliant statement color, leg-revealing hemlines - and like any good couture collection, there, too, was the element of surprise. The standout, but limited, color palette verged between blinding brights, creamy grays, neutrals, and a splash of gold. We're treated to all-out sultry silhouettes, then checked with futuristic-feeling detail. Laser cuts and lace feel at once delicate and fierce, like the glamorous gold heels made tougher with buckled shin guards. The collection was sexy, but not without substance - just the way we like our leading ladies who will wear it.

Trends: Neoprene brights, corsets, lace, peplum.
Colors: Citrus hues - orange, green, yellow; nude, gray, gold.
Key Look: The creamy gray lace-paneled gown with gold-collared halter neckline.
Accessories: Heels and boots with shin guards buckled up over the calf.
Who Would Wear It: January Jones, Jessica Alba, red carpet queens who crave drama and sexy cuts.