Do you provide party supplies (Prizes/Awards)?
We only include party supplies in the Extreme Gala Package, but party supplies can be added for an addional fee to any of the other packages if desired.We do offer bulk order discounts on many items shown in our website and even some products that are not shown on our site. You can get more information regarding bulk order purchasing by clicking here. If you choose an express shipping method when you place your order, we will charge you an upfront minimum fee for that service. If the actual shipping fee is more than that minimum charge, we will bill your credit card for the remaining balance.

Do you offer other languages for your Children’s books?
Yes, on selected titles we have English and Spanish.

Do you accept international orders and ship to overseas locations?
Don’t see your question and answer here? Email us at and we’ll get back to you right away.

Do you provide party supplies (Prizes/Awards)?
We only include party supplies in the Extreme Gala Package, but party supplies can be added for an addional fee to any of the other packages if desired.We do offer bulk order discounts on many items shown in our website and even some products that are not shown on our site. You can get more information regarding bulk order purchasing by clicking here.

Do you have a printed catalog ?
We do not currently offer a printed catalog. Our website offers an online catalog and it is updated regularly. Our shopping cart will allow you to place catalog type orders in which you send your payment by mail or fax. Simply add the products you want to purchase into the shopping cart, and choose a shipping method. Once you are done reviewing your order summary, click the “Go to Checkout” button and you will be presented with our various payment options.this point we are not exchanging links with any other sites. We will put up a notice in the future when we resume this practice.

Why didn’t a charge come up for my overnight order?
Your order total is larger than $250.00. In this case, we pack the order and give you the actual cost for overnight. A Plum Party representative will call you with the cost, and you can then approve it. If you do not approve, you can change your shipping method.Add $15 for Premium - 2 days (business days)*Add $20 for Overnight (on orders up to $200) - 1 day (business days)*|** Orders $500.00 or higher may have additional shipping fees. A customer service representative will contact you with any additional charges. No order will ship without your approval. Overnight and International shipping may be available upon request. *For Overnight and Premium delivery the order must be received by 12:00 noon e.

Can I return items?
Yes, please View Return Policy for details. Merchandise must be returned within 30 days of receipt of order with a return authorization number. Only unused and unopened merchandise with its original packaging and accessories will be accepted. All returns are subject to a minimum 15% restocking fee, therefore we encourage you to estimate your needs as closely as possible. Due to health concerns, costumes, headwear, and food items cannot be returned.Yes. We have a 5,000 square foot showroom in Orlando. Please feel free to visit our showroom Monday ? Friday 9am until 5pm EST. For a personalized map to our showroom, takes the privacy of its customers very seriously. Credit card orders are secured through Thawte using SSL (Secure Sockets Layer) encryption.

How can I establish an open account?
Please send three trade references and the name of bank and your account number to establish an Open Account. Initial credit approval takes weeks.Party Shop Direct & Wedding Shop Direct Celebration Station, 100 High Street, Tenterden, Kent TN30 6HP Partyshop Direct. For all your party shop, party supplies, wedding supplies, wedding anniversaries, wedding cake, party decorations, cake decorations, pinates, helium balloons, wedding info, Halloween party, Christmas party, Christmas decorations and much more. Make your party special.Yes. We have a 5,000 square foot showroom in Orlando.

Do you have a showroom?
Yes. We have a 5,000 square foot showroom in Orlando. Please feel free to visit our showroom Monday ? Friday 9am until 5pm EST. For a personalized map to our showroom, takes the privacy of its customers very seriously. Credit card orders are secured through Thawte using SSL (Secure Sockets Layer) encryption. For more information on this security service, please click on the Thawte icon in the lower left hand corner of this for effects equipment is particularly high around holidays. We often run out of bubble machines for June weddings, cobweb machines for Halloween haunted houses and fog machines for church Christmas pageants. Please be sure to look ahead on your calendar so you can be sure of getting everything you need in one quick stop. Use vulcanizing fluid—available from PNTA—and have at it! Spiders not included.

I live in Canada can you ship there?
Yes, please keep in mind all charges and prices are quoted and must be paid in U.S. dollars. Please allow ample time for shipment to clear Customs. If you cannot place your order at this time, it may be due to high traffic or other Internet related issues. We ask that you try again in a few minutes. If you would like to place your order via phone call 1- or via fax 1-.We currently ship to Arab Emirates, Bahamas, Bermuda, Guam, Mexico & Virgin Islands. There is a minimum charge of $65.00. NO COD!! Shipping and processing charges will be no less than $65.

How can I establish an open account?
Please send three trade references and the name of bank and your account number to establish an Open Account. Initial credit approval takes weeks.Yes. We have a 5,000 square foot showroom in Orlando. Please feel free to visit our showroom Monday ? Friday 9am until 5pm EST. For a personalized map to our showroom, takes the privacy of its customers very seriously. Credit card orders are secured through Thawte using SSL (Secure Sockets Layer) encryption. For more information on this security service, please click on the Thawte icon in the lower left hand corner of this page.Yes, please keep in mind all charges and prices are quoted and must be paid in U.S. dollars.

I have a catalog and I know what the item number is there an easy way to find those items?
Yes. Simply enter the item number in the search all at the top of the page and it will take you to that item.Yes. We have a 5,000 square foot showroom in Orlando. Please feel free to visit our showroom Monday ? Friday 9am until 5pm EST. For a personalized map to our showroom, takes the privacy of its customers very seriously. Credit card orders are secured through Thawte using SSL (Secure Sockets Layer) encryption. For more information on this security service, please click on the Thawte icon in the lower left hand corner of this page.Yes, please View Return Policy for details.

HalloweenBoo.com reports that if you are looking for a very striking effect to go with your Halloween costume this year, something that will make you stand out in the crowd, consider wearing Halloween theme contact lenses. Your appearance will have an amazing effect. Some people will not be able to take their eyes off your fascinating new look. One glance from you will have some people recoil in fright at your unexpected eyes. Whatever their reactions, you will be the center of everyone’s attention.

For years, actors have been able to radically change their appearance with contact lenses. Now you can too, and you can have a lot of fun with the idea. If you have your own crazy ideas and are prepared to pay the extra cost, it is even possible to have a custom design made for your contact lens. Just make sure you allow enough time to get the work done for you before your Halloween party.

Most designer contact lenses are plano, or usable by anyone whatever their eyesight. If you need corrective lenses to see clearly, these days you can also have most designer lenses made up to your own prescription.

There are two main types of designer contact lenses. The lowest cost, most common and easiest to use are small round discs that sit over the center of your eyes. You can still see through a clear center in almost all cases - one exception is an opaque lens you could wear over one eye to look blind in that eye. All the area around that clear center is available to designers to create all manner of colors and effects.

The idea is to change not just the color of the iris of your eyes, but also the shape of your pupil. The center is kept clear so you can still see, but the rest of the contact lens has become like an artist’s canvas, open to any imaginative design desired. This year you will have an astonishing range of contact lenses to choose from.

HalloweenBoo.comreports that you can look like an animal, for example. A cat, wolf or a reptile look in your contact lens are three very popular Halloween choices, with variations available for you to choose in the colors and shapes of the pupil that people will see. Cat eyes in green, yellow, or even red, are among the most in demand.

If you have your own crazy ideas and are prepared to pay the extra cost, it is even possible to have a custom design made for your contact lens. Just make sure you allow enough time to get the work done for you before your Halloween party. Most designer contact lenses are plano, or usable by anyone whatever their eyesight. If you need corrective lenses to see clearly, these days you can also have most designer lenses made up to your own prescription.

Some contact lenses come as soft disposables, and some of these offer cosmetic color changes. However the kind of high visual impact costume contact lenses you will be looking for as part of a Halloween costume are more likely to be hard lenses, which give more scope for designers to add their variations. There are even expensive unique hand painted special effects designer lenses available. Hard contact lenses have a longer lifetime than disposables, at least a year if cared for properly as your optometrist will advise.

Movie rentals are a very convenient variant for home movie watching. The trend these days for movie buffs seems to be online movie rentals. Of course there are still lots of offline rental stores out there but their amount is decreasing year by year.

We all love to watch movies and when it comes to downloading full version movies from the internet you have to take some time to find out which websites offer legitimate services and which ones don’t. You will find that the pay per download sites are legal which require a small membership fee.

The have fast unlimited 24/7 downloads, no time limits, resume anytime, no bandwidth limits, no content limits You can download as many games, music, software, and movies as you want. Using their exclusive and easy burning software, copy any file to DVD or CD.

With access to all of your favorite DVD’s and TV shows, the days of hunting at the local DVD store appears to be on the way out with the introduction of this quick and easy movie download system. After subscribing, you will have access to any movie you want, and you will never pay more than the onetime subscription price.

If you are unsure about how no pay movie downloads works, you are not alone. Most people feel that there are very few things in this world that cost nothing. More or less, products that come with no price are generally associated with very little value or no value at all that you want from them. In other words, you will only get what you paid for.

Not only can you watch the movie as many times as you want, but since all movies are downloaded directly to your computer, it will be there until you decide to delete it. Once the one-time payment is fulfilled, you are free to download almost any movie that has ever been made.

For free DVD movie downloads, you need certain system configurations. These include 256 MB of RAM, plenty of hard drive space and a good video card. This allows you to store the movie on your hard disk. If you have a CD writer, you make a copy.

With the use of internet you can download movies directly to your computer. First you look through the site or use a search to type in the movie’s name. If the name consists of two or more words, use parentheses around it. For your convenience there are various catageroies.

A customer should also look into the reputation of the company. When it comes to movie hosting, it is important for the company to have a website and a website host that can handle the traffic and the bandwidth needed for such actions. A quick review of what others have said about the company should tell a person if there is a problem with the website being slow or down a lot.

There were times when somebody wanted to see a movie, then the one and only option was to go to the local nearby movie theatre. Then came the era of videos, where you could easily record your desired movie from television and see them again and again, till the tape totally wore out.

There are now places where you can legally download movies. You can rent or buy movies that you download directly to your computer. There are even places where you can watch free movies online. Right now, there are only a handful of sites available.

Comparing the free and paid options, it may be worthwhile exploring the paid option. For a low fee, you get quality movies without worrying about malware and viruses. There are a few payment options available generally. They are monthly/annual subscriptions, pay per download, or a lifetime subscription.

They offer 24/7 free technical support which is second to none. If you ever have any questions or problems, you can contact them with any technical questions. They will walk you step by step, through any problems you may be having with your unlimited downloads.

Something as well to maintain a look out for, are plagiarized movie downloads. At this instant if you are presently trying to download movies for free lacking consideration for the quality of movie downloads, then illegal movie download sites could possibly well be fine with you. But if you crave DVD quality movie downloads, be acquainted with the facts.

The internet has given us the ability to purchase so many things. From books, novelty items, electronic gadgets, music and even to videos, these can be purchased online. You’re not even limited to this country alone.

There is more and more technology and expansion of the Internet. People are no longer obliged to travel to get local video movies. People can make selections of films on the Internet.

Then they can wait for the video to arrive by mail. But the options do not stop there. People can also select and view the film immediately online.

There are two ways to do so. People can pay for feature films by some membership download sites. If not, they can try to get them free online.

There are great advantages to joining a site for downloading films. One is the size of the movie title selection that is at your disposal. You can download as often and as much as you want from these huge film archives.

Traditional brick and mortar stores have a DVD storage capacity that is limited by their premises. This means that they are obliged to respond to only what is popular and in demand. Download online members are not limited by space.

They can accommodate a wider variety of film genres. In addition to the films of the time, whatever your choice, you’re more likely to find them online. It is much easier to surf the Internet for a film choice instead of going through shelf after shelf in the film stores.

It is a lot easier to surf the Internet for a movie selection than to go through shelf after shelf at the movie stores. An online site will usually have a search box that can search by the title, actor, director or any particular keyword. Also, lists that group movies into different categories or genres are usually provided.

In addition to film genre, the selections are often easier to do online. This is because they are grouped by popularity, the latest additions, and critics in alphabetical order. Some even allow members to evaluate themselves and write articles for the film.

In addition to film genre, the selections are often easier to do online because they are grouped by popularity, the latest additions, and critique them in alphabetical order. Some even allow members assess themselves and write reviews for the film. Movie reviews given by people every day are often a better indicator of a films entertainment vs. those of professional critics.

These tend to be very old “classic” movies. The major television networks, generally with recent episodes of popular television series, are available for viewing on their Web sites. However, only a small number of these series are available and only for a limited time.

The major television networks are generally allowing recent episodes of popular television series to be available for viewing. These are available right on their Web sites. However, only a small number of these series are available and only for a limited time. Movie download accessions are protected from viruses, worms, spyware and malicious software. This is very important information that pertains to your computer. Too often people don’t even think about that.

For about the last two decades, viewing experiences have changed. Going from a strip-based, bulky video to a larger number of DVD players to compact downloads for an unlimited number of movies online. While DVDs are still widely used, most have opted for the more fashionable.

The biggest question for most is how much it costs? Although many will tell you different, these sites aren’t free. If they say they are, they are running illegally.

It would be pretty silly to think that films and shows are going to just appear absolutely free of cost. Movies are not made to be given away for free. Professional sites are not designed to not make a profit.

Professional sites are not designed not to make money. Why would someone provide downloads of films entirely free? Anyway, free or paid, people still loves the idea of unlimited downloads.

For a modest fee (either a monthly subscription or a one-time membership payment), you get unlimited access to thousands of movies. Then you can start downloading and watching them instantly. Downloading movies does take a few minutes but then your computer is a movie screen.

There are many advantages to join the growing group of moviegoers. These movies are cheaper than your typical DVD. Just think how much you pay for each CD or DVD.

These films are less expensive than your standard DVD. Just think how much you pay for each CD or DVD. Imagine how many films you may have watched at the online price.

Even if you do not buy DVDs, but rent, the download option is much cheaper. Movie downloads are practical and available any time. If there is a movie you want to look at whatever time of day or night.

In fact, you don’t even have to go out! With a few clicks of your mouse, in the convenience of your home, you can watch whatever and whenever you want! Even though DVDs are quite compact, they still need a space to be stored.

You do not have to find a store that could be open on Sunday or late at night. In fact, you do not even need to leave! A few clicks of your mouse, in the comfort of your home, you can watch what and when you want! DVDs are very compact. They still need a space to be stored. If kept in inappropriate conditions, they can get damaged and lose their quality.

Research in psychoneuroimmunology (the study of the interaction of behavioral, neural, and endocrine factors and the functioning of the immune system) reveals that stress and the resultant way we think can have positive or negative effects on our immune system. Laughter results in breaking the stress cycle, positive effects on the immune system, and helps in the development and maintenance of a positive attitude. There are many stressors currently facing employees during this time of depressed economy. Relieving stress is a key to keeping employee performance and productivity at a premium!

Recent research is showing that most diseases are stress related. Absenteeism, insurance premiums, accidents (on and off the job), interpersonal conflicts and violence are connected to physical and mental diseases and are affecting the bottom line. Businesses that support and encourage appropriate positive humor in the workplace are finding that it can actually be good for business.

Positive humor is fostered by a positive attitude, positive creativity and constructive actions. All of these are keys for dealing with new business challenges, as well as the associated change and stress. With supportive research, I assert that

People who are humorous are more playful

People who are more playful are more creative

People who are more creative find more solutions

People who find more solutions can better deal with everyday challenges, change, and the associated stress.

Tips for Using Positive Humor in the Workplace

By all means tell jokes and humorous stories. However, recognize that they are about 5% of all possible techniques to evoke mirth and subsequent laughter. I encourage you to be creative with the many other ways to be humorous.

Listen to great joke tellers, learn their jokes and pass them on as you see fit. More importantly, put on your creativity hat to improve such jokes and to make up your own jokes. Many great jokes come from real life situations and the creative license of the person telling them.

Tell humorous stories. Tell these one-on-one, in small co-worker groups, or during a presentation just for fun or to introduce a concept or principle. The greatest reservoir for humor is your life, especially your childhood. Take the time to sit down, close your eyes, and reflect on fun things in your life from early childhood, through elementary school, middle school, high school, secondary and post-graduate education. Then, go through all your jobs, military service, church events and activities, community events. Think about fun things you and your friends did. Now, write them down by title or outline. By taking things from your life, you will connect with your audience as do the best humorists.

Emphasize the importance of “positive” humor. Most comedians are into “negative” humor, i.e., putting down people. Most jokes, but not all, are put-downs and that’s why some people avoid telling them. Some of us tend to use put-downs with our friends to show that we care about one another, to laugh at ourselves and to bond. I’m okay with that. Some of us use put-downs to intentionally hurt others. I’m not okay with this.

If there is no malice in your heart, there will be no malice in your jokes or your creativity.

By using creativity, one can change a socially unacceptable joke to one that is appreciated, remembered and used by others. Changing offensive words and using self-deprecation to change are the keys. Making up funny sounding nonsense words to substitute for offensive words is a fun challenge. Once you learn how, you get better and better.

Making fun of yourself is an age-old humor strategy that works extremely well! People love other people who can laugh at themselves rather than trying to hurt someone else. A little sarcasm is okay. However, if it is the only meal you serve, people will stop coming to your table! Positive humor and positive attitude go hand in hand. Here’s some advice: Keep employees with negative humor, negative attitudes and foul mouths away from the frontline or else you will lose customers!

Have a training session on “positive” humor in the workplace. Identify “positive” and negative” humor. Talk about the application of positive humor and positive attitude to customer service. Distinguish the difference between taking risks to be humorous and “rampant silliness” that will turn off customers (internal and external). Emphasize that we all have different senses of humor and that you will never be able to please everyone. However, it is important to be assertive and set boundaries with people who insist on telling certain kinds of jokes that are offensive (sexual harassment, racism, and the over- the- top derogatory words and phrases). Encourage constructive feedback from co-workers so employees who use offensive language will understand. Discuss the appropriate times and places for the humorous activities suggested in this article because they differ from organization to organization.

Use ice breaker and energizer games for group settings. Make them invitational (some people just don’t want to participate). One of my favorite ice breakers involves getting people to share humorous stories about themselves with one another. For a quick and fun energizer with a group, I lead aerobic patting. Starting with my hands, arms, head and neck, then down to the front of my thighs, my shins, my calves, the back of my thighs, ending at my “booty.” In both of these cases, people are laughing and no one has told a joke. Like I always say, you don’t have to tell a joke to get people to laugh. There are books written on ice breakers and energizers, so all you need to do is a little research, as well as use your creativity. Make up your own with items like balloons, balls, marbles, rubber chickens, stuffed animals, candy bars, fruit, marshmallows, etc., etc.

On breaks or during celebrations, play nonsense, cooperative and low competition games for fun. Emphasize that it doesn’t matter who wins the game; it’s for fun! The more mistakes that are made, the more fun it is. These games are true tests of whether or not people are able to lighten up! Play nonsense, cooperative and low competition games for fun. Emphasize that it doesn’t matter who wins the game; it’s for fun! The more mistakes that are made, the more fun it is. These games are true tests of whether or not people are able to lighten up! A great nonsense game I love to play alone, as well as with others, is Bop-It. It’s a game that can be played on short or long work breaks. Caution: It’s addictive! You can purchase various sizes of Bop-It at your local toy store.

Use fun props. Having a prop box in the workplace is a good idea. Funny glasses are always great props. You have a choice of Grouch/Beagle Puss glasses, huge sunglasses, thick bottle glasses, zany shaped and colored glasses, and glasses with funny shaped eyes. Turn your back to a person or group, slip on the glasses, turn around and make a funny comment. You’ll get a laugh or a groan (a groaner is better than nothing) every time. I like to use props to communicate an important observation about co-workers behaviors. For example, if one of your co-workers who you consider is a friend is acting like a jerk, walk over to that person’s desk while they are there and sit a stuffed Eyore (the donkey in Winnie the Pooh books) in an auspicious place. Say nothing, just give the person a big smile and walk away. Since stuffed Eyores come in different sizes, having at least two will give you an opportunity to show whether you thing the person is being a big or a little jerk. Other things like a huge aspirin you can get at a magic/clown stores can tell someone that they are being a pain. A heart balloon can tell someone that they have touched your heart with their act of kindness. Smile always helps to keep the messages in a fun context.

Noisemakers and humorous musical instruments really get attention. I love the sliding flutes, train whistles, zinger whistles, kazoos and nose flutes. People can’t stop laughing when I play a “nose” flute for them. Even better is when I try to teach them to play. It has something to do with images, I think! When I give new nose flutes out to attendees in my programs, someone always ask if they have been recycled. It always gets a laugh.

Practical jokes can be a lot of fun! There are practical jokes you can buy, e.g., the “whoopee” cushion, the hand buzzer, exploding golf balls, etc., but the best ones are those you think up on your own spontaneously. Be carefulhave fun but avoid scaring people into heart attacks. And remember, what goes around, comes around. Be willing to accept what comes back to you and laugh about it.

Use string figures and balloon sculptures are great props to help you teach points in a fun way, to help a coworker get out of the dumps (make their favorite balloon animal), and to decorate in fun ways for celebrations. Both are easy to learn. You can find books on string figures at bookstores. Appropriate balloons, balloon pumps and books on balloon sculpting can be found in magic stores and toy stores.

Celebrate successes and achievements (small and big) and recognize coworkers with fun gifts and cards, as well as personalized gifts. Recognition is something everyone wants. Whether it’s job success, personal achievement, birthday, holiday, other special occasions, or “just because I’m thinking of you,” we all like the special attention given to us. Whether it’s giving humorous cards, gag gifts, crazy candy, goofy flowers, funny skits or birthday roasts, coworkers will appreciate one another and enjoy their jobs better when they are celebrated and recognized. Important Note: It’s okay to buy things for people, but making something for them will be appreciated more and be more memorable. Why? We show our love/how much we care when we take time to personalize gifts.

Create a “Fun” Bulletin Board. This is a place for sharing cartoons, email jokes, poems, short stories, photographs, quotes, humorous newsletters, etc. It’s a good place to post notices of local fun activities, such as performances by humorists, plays, festivals, concerts, and other activities that will help employees have joy in their lives.

Share humorous audio tapes and watch humorous videotapes. On work breaks, coworkers can share humorous audio tapes (purchased or self-recorded) or watch humorous videotapes. The old time radio bloopers are my favorite. Taping radio programs, like Prairie Home Companion, Car Talk, etc., is a good way to store humor for a later time when a humor boost is needed. Remember the scout motto: Be Prepared!

Use humor in training. Let me say it loudlyTRAINING DOES NOT HAVE TO BE BOOOOOOORING!!! Lectures and reading off of PowerPoint slides is the best way to bore your audience. When employees are bored or fall asleep during training, they fail to get the messages. Research in adult training shows that individuals learn best when they are entertained, involved in experiential activities and get some laughs. Human Resources can use some humorous videotapes for training. John Cleese and other humorists have some great training videotapes available. Having in-house trainers, and other presenters in the organization, take train-the-trainer courses on “edu-tainment should help in their presentations. Additionally, hiring speakers and trainers, who are known for their “edu-tainment” abilities, for special presentations can be a good way to show staff appreciation.

Reading is usually thought of as an individual activity; however, reading humorous short stories or poems out loud to others is another possibility. After reading some humorous material, one can share it during work breaks, during training, before or after work. Sharing humorous reading resources might peak the interest of others enough for them to start reading similar things. Who knows when it will help someone who is always in a bad mood?

Sharing cartoons by clipping them out of the newspaper, photocopying (sometimes modifying) and posting on a bulletin board, or just giving them to someone personally, can help coworkers get a laugh. Cartoon books are great gifts, not only for others but also for yourself. I have given myself all the collections of “The Far Side, “Calvin and Hobbes,” “For Better or Worse” and “Herman.” With CRS (Can’t Remember Stuff), I get to read them again every year and laugh just as much as the first time.

With many people having e-mail now, sending and receiving humorous material is much easier. (Yes, yes, yes, let’s not overdo it! Eliminating it altogether prevents some much needed stress relief.) I keep a humor buddy list and exchange materials on a daily basis. When I get notes back from someone saying that a particular piece helped her or him to cope, I know it’s a good thing to do. Share humorous email newsletters. Maybe sending them to one’s home email address is more appropriate, depending upon an organization’s policy.

Learn new skills or renew old skills to share with coworkers in humorous ways. Here are some suggestions unmentioned heretofore: magic; buffoonery juggling; mouth sounds and cartoon animal voices (e.g., Mickey Mouse

Many people think that interior design is a very complicated and difficult project and it’s not possible for them to do it by themselves. That’s why so many people pay a so called professional a lot of money to come and help them out.

You do not need a professional to help you at all, you can get lots of ideas from everywhere. All you need to do is spend some time working out how you should incorporate the ideas and make them work in your own home. It’s important to spend time coordinating everything so that it all ties together nicely.

When you have a coordinated room then you can start introducing new ideas and designs into your home. Then you have created your own design so don’t really need to pay a professional hundreds of dollars to do what you can do for free.

Be Observant

Whenever you are out, wherever you are you should be on the lookout for new exciting ideas that you can use in your home. There are influences for interior design which can be drawn from virtually anywhere. If you actually hired a professional then you might hear them say that they have seen a great idea and think it could work well in this space, if the professionals do it why shouldn’t you? Just spend some time looking around and see what you like. If there’s something you like consider the possibility of recreating it in your own home.

You can find interior design ideas everywhere, if you see something that interests you then just study it for a few minutes. Decide whether or not this would work well in your home. If you go somewhere that has unique interior design then spend some time trying to work out exactly how they achieved the look. Sometimes very elegant beautiful designs can be created fairly easily.

Getting Inspiration from Other sources

You don’t have to settle for what other people have already done when looking for interior design inspiration. You can also draw your inspiration from nature, if you are willing to spend time looking around. You might of seen a tree in the autumn and seen it’s true beauty. You might want to create a similar look for your own home.

You will never know what you want until you start being aware of all the influences around you. You can then get down to experimenting on your home in controlled areas so you can decide what works the best. Professionals will also practice before they decide what to do.

Whenever you go out you need to keep your eyes open for new inspiration which might be useful for interior design. From shower curtains to floor designs, ideas can be found anywhere. You don’t need to hire an expensive designer to get the job done, you can do it all by yourself if you have enough time and experience.

Last night I turned on a cable news program. I was busy in the kitchen and couldn’t see the screen but I heard a voice that I remembered always sent chills down my spine. I walked into the living room and sure enough, staring me in the face, swastika on forehead, was Charles Manson and a news reporter. It was a bit spooky.

I had to look twice. I shouldn’t have been so surprised they had given him yet another Andy Warhol 15 minutes; I worked in news for nearly two decades before saying “enough is enough” as I saw it going in a direction in which valuable camera-time was being handed over to the infamous, rather than the famous; and often the famous had worked hard and been productive all their lives to get where they were. In other words, sensationalism was winning out over positive broadcasting. I am not saying stories of such notorious characters should not be mentioned or remembered. It is important to remember the Holocaust. It is important to remember Hilter; and for obvious reasons. It serves the educational process. Media can have a powerful effect on teaching a government, a citizenry, an entire nation on how not to repeat the errors of the past.

After accepting what I was seeing, I said to myself, “Okay, maybe it is time for Charlie to show his mug to remind us what we don’t want to be. The problem I had with the program was he was given an entire hour of nothing but his predictable rambling. He was having a blast. The media was showing the world, “Look, doing something crazy like brainwash people into killing other people, and you two, a half century later, can still be a big celebrity.” And that is exactly what was happening. I kept thinking to myself, why couldn’t this cable news program dedicate a full hour to a captain of industry such as Bill Gates or Michael Dell or the founders of Google who do so much good in the world. I could have even tolerated another Donald/Rosie fight over Charlie’s mug; or pretended like I cared about “Barbara Walter’s torrid sex life” now being broadcast from here to eternity due to her new kiss and tell book. Barbara’s love life will be remembered for a month or two to come until someone else writes one better and more graphically.

Would you believe Charles Manson almost became a Monkee? I mean the sixties singing band. He actually tried out. They didn’t accept him however.

I don’t think that is what Andy Warhol had in mind with his “15 minutes of fame” theory.

Do you want your 15 minutes? Do you want fame? Freud said something drives everyone. What drives you? Maybe it is not fame. Maybe it is money. Maybe it is doing good in the world. Maybe it is having money and doing good in the world with it. Whatever it is, chances are, you are willing to work for it.

I am a writer/entrepreneur/and cartoonist, worked hard, and I have had way more than my 15 minutes, and I am grateful for it. I have been able to help other people, animals, and environmental causes, and do things I never thought possible. I am an average guy, so I know if I can do it, you can to. Maybe not in the same arena, maybe so, but whatever your dream, take the simple steps and do it. One need not be notorious, like a Manson, to achieve fame, remember, that is infamy,which is the opposite of fame.

What were the steps?

Have a dream. A dream can’t come true unless there is a dream with which to begin.

Make a plan. Work that plan. Take lots of notes. Things will change. So will you. Find people who have achieved similar dreams. Do not be afraid to ask questions.

Use the Internet to accelerate that dream. Andy Warhol and his friends Marilyn Monroe and so many others did not have the luxury of the Internet. Norma Jean never had a blog and Andy did no social networking. You can. You can learn article marketing. Do it. Don’t stop with just a few articles. Find the top Ezines and stay at it.

Learn this work habit and repeat it daily. Don’t slack up when you see a little success come your way. Work that much harder. Suddenly you are a name brand. You should pat yourself on the back. Hard work but well worth it, eh?

Starting up “eco-friendly” one, as it is often called, is not always a cakewalk, in spite of the majority of our society’s support. I felt it would be an easy challenge for me, seeing that I had launched one of Mississippi’s first health food stores. There was no Internet, no Google, no blogging, nothing. I paid high rent in a mall across from the local university. The local townsfolk felt I might be possessed to believe that natural products might be better than what could be found from their neighbhood grocer.

I was a late bloomer and had a hard time well into my thirties deciding on a career that seemed to suit me. I finally settled on e-commerce and cartooning. I found a way to have my cartoon images printed on demand and drop-shipped. Sales were great from the start, as I had already built a name with a non-commerce producing cartoon site. There was one problem. I wanted some of my items, particularly tshirts to be made from organic cotton. I knew that I was and am but one person, but when I read that regular cotton farming is responsible for over ten percent of toxins from insecticides. This did not sound good to me.

I began calling textile manufacturers several weeks after opening the first of my stores that sells my cartoon and collectible gifts, many on regular cotton products such as tees, aprons, totes etc. No luck. I made call after call. I did manage to find some organic textile manufacturers, but they wanted me to order the product in bulk and resell it. That is not “my thing”. I stayed persistent knowing something would break.

Then a few weeks ago, as if it were my fate, I was reading various blogs on unique cartoon gifts and collectibles, I ran across a post stating the name of a print-on-demand firm that offered not only men’s and women’s organic cotton tees, but also made with totally nontoxic dyes. This was a major concern to me. I had remembered when in the health food business, back when non-food organic items were rarely paid much attention, I had told an organic clothing salesperson that if they could promise me the dyes were nontoxic, I would give them a try. They were not, and I’ve since learned many organic and other so-called organic items are not so healthy at all due to their poisonous dye process.

Don’t get me wrong. I am not a fanatic. But many of my customers have a certain lifestyle. Just because it is organic, is not enough. It has to be healthy, and healthy means natural dyes. Just this month, I found the firm, and finally, after a two year search, found the firm.

The store is now open and orders are being made; just as they promised, those regular customers who had queried me so often about having “green merchandise” in the inventory are happy as can be, not to mention healthier. Our earth is fragile, and, often it seems easier to be ambivalent. But everyone can do a little something to make a difference. I by launching the store it has made my own approach toward the environment change (for the more positive). I try to wear the organics more often than not. I recycle. I associate with a whole new network who are either own a green business or are transitioning towards one. Though I still own my old stores that cater to another demographic, not so interested in organic clothing, but simply enjoy the funny cartoons on products, my goal, not far off, is to make a transition into as many natural products as possible. I am starting with tshirts, while exploring other eco-friendly items.