Hamara Star House Improvement

When my first Boxer named Bogart died, I decided that when I got my next dog I would also get a second dog. One thing I noticed about Bogart is that 50% of the time he seemed really bored and would lay his head on the window sill and just stare outside. I was not always home and did not have the chance to play with him after work. Boxers are a very hyper and active breed and love attention. When the time came to get my next dog I got two male Boxers, one dark brindle (Tiger) and the other fawn (Bogart). I will never give a dog the same name as a previous dog because it causes problems with animal control records.

I had never owned two dogs before; therefore there was a slight learning curve involved:

* I had to purchase two water and food bowls

* One Boxer was 7 years old and the second was a puppy therefore I had to purchase two types of dog food

* Vet bills were doubled

* I had two kennels inside the house

* Two leashes and collars

* Making sure my mannerisms were always contingent with Bogart being treated as the

dominant male of the two and that they both knew that I was the alpha male. For example,

always giving Bogart food and toys first.

I thought I was ready to bring home two dogs because I had covered and/or anticipated all of the above needs. Upon bringing home the dogs, everything went well. On the third day they were playing together like old friends. I kept a close eye on them when together because they were both males from the same litter and this is supposed to be a volatile situation. To this day they have not had any major problems.

The one issue that I had not anticipated was that of walking two dogs simultaneously. When walking one dog I always had a free hand for tasks such as talking on the cell phone, holding used and unused poop bags, keys and other convenience items. When I tried walking both dogs traditionally, with one leash in each hand, both hands were occupied and multi-tasking was very difficult. I started shopping around for some type of device that would allow me to walk both dogs with one hand because I was on-call 24/7 and had a cell phone with me at all times. The only products I could find were what are called couplers. A coupler is a Y-shaped device with two dogs connected on one end and the other end connects to a leash. I could walk both dogs with one hand but the coupler was too restrictive and if Bogart made a sudden change in direction, Tiger would go flying in the air. The coupler gave very little control of the dogs. I then continued my search for a better product to no avail.

I decided that I would create a product that had the functionality of a storage, leash and travel product. I named the product The SmartWalk Manager. The patent-pending product allows dog owners to walk one or more dogs with one hand thereby leaving the remaining hand free for other tasks. It also allows the owner to have convenience items (phone, waste bags, keys, treats and other convenience items) always available during walks or travel.



Dog Owners and Couplers

Unlike couplers, the owner has better control of the dogs with the SmartWalker. When the larger or more active dog makes any sudden turns, the pull can be interrupted by the SmartWalk Manager before the smaller dog is affected. Unlike couplers you can add or subtract multiple dogs at a time. Couplers are preconfigured for 2 or 3 and sometimes 4 dogs. The SmartWalk Manger allows you to add and subtract from 1 to 6 dogs.

Dog Walkers and Pet Sitters

Dog Walkers and Pet Sitters should have available to them all the tools that will increase the quality of life for their customer’s dog(s) and make their business life more competitive. The SmartWalk Manager makes items conveniently available to the sitter while they are caring for your dog(s). The sitter or walker can have the following items available to them while walking their client’s dog(s): cell phone, treats, poop bags, keys, notebooks, tissues, pepper spray, whistle and other convenience items.

We think a Pet Sitter or Walker’s company could benefit greatly with the use of our products. The SmartWalk Manager can be seen as a “tool of the trade” for dog walkers and therefore may be tax deductible. Check with your tax consultant for details.

The SmartWalk Manager for responsible dog owners who:

* Love exercising with their pets

* Like the convenience of having items available to them while walking and/or traveling with

their pets

* Having treats available as rewards at the time of the good behavior

* Would like the possibility of doing more than holding leashes while walking their dog(s)

The SmartWalk Manager is made up of the following components

- Large SmartWalk Manager for dogs with a combined weight over 50 lbs and Small SmartWalk

Manager for dogs under 50 lbs.

- Red, Black or Green Anodized Aluminum Leash Retainer resists corrosion and scratching

- 6-pocket black genuine leather pouch for the large and 4 pockets for the small

- Stainless Steel swivel snap

- Soft rubber ergonomic handle

- Allows walking of multiple dogs with one hand

- The swivel snap untangles leashes

- Owner can store his/her and dogs items in the pouch

- Key chain holder sewn into pouch

- Unlike couplers, the device does not allow larger dogs to overpower smaller dogs

- Owners use the device to rollerblade with their dogs

- Can attach to stationary objects to act as a tie-out

- Back pocket is made of mesh for storing dog treats

- Can be used with any nylon or leather leashes

- Everything for walking your pets is stored in one place

- Retail Packaging: security-sealed bar-coded clamshell for sitting upright or hanging

These days bathroom interior design is even more important and attract much more attention of the owners than kitchen design. In a modern design concept a bathroom is no longer just a functional zone but turned to be one of the main components of a stylish interior.

The role of a bathroom in our life has been misjudged for too long. Meanwhile, the way how our bathroom looks fundamentally influences our everyday mood. We don’t simply accomplish essential hygienic procedure there – this is a place where we start and finish our day. And that is why its atmosphere is of a great importance: it can energize or prepare you for sleep, cheer up, generate necessary mood.

With changed attitude to a bathroom itself the main components, forming its space, remained the same. Yes, undoubtedly the bathroom fixtures selection is important, however the main element, appointing to the bathroom style stays tiles. It’s impossible to be replaced.

The Art of Imitation.

It looks like couturieres’ laurels keep on the run the bathrooms interior designers: in increasing frequency they use textiles in the most different projects and can’t stop making various materials imitating it. So the ceramic tiles became a show-piece of a new art – there used to be collections where ceramic tiles were imitating natural stone, wood or metal, however nowadays designers moved to a new level. A new trend is ceramic tiles adroitly disguising into luxurious silk wallpaper or weightless French lacework impression.

Visual effect is awesome – you can recognize “fake” only at very short range, or even only after touching the tiles. Skilful leather imitations of different types are already common, but “ceramic leather” is an obvious new season hit.

Another trend – historical catchwords – can set wits to imitation. This is not just a new vintage – skilful, but still a fake, – that is a retrospect, reference to classics and traditions, to the warmth of a family estate in the midst of a noisy city, if you prefer. Here one can see not only designers’ desire to create an outer effect, adding olden time imitation to surroundings, here aspiration of creating something historically veracious is absolutely clear. In addition to such surroundings designers offer already well-known trend, which is popular during several seasons, – vintage terra-cotta tiles with baroque ornament of cracks and attrition as if left after the hot Italian sun.

Ecological Rhetoric

Fortunately modern design fashion is far from being monotonous, it is various, contradictory, and there is always a counterbalance to every modern trend: so historical catchwords nostalgia and imitations flimsiness neighbors on bionic trend. Perhaps there is nothing new in it – well- known 60-70th yet again. This trend will no doubt find its fans among former school students and new intellectuals. In fact coming into this style designed bathroom one wants to think about sense of life as well as caducity and eternity of all existing… In this trend ergonomic forms and outrageous colors are not as important as up-to-date ecological rhetoric.

Art-Delicacy

The last in the list of new trends is one more bright direction. Both classical and mould-breaking art theme was always used with pleasure by the bathroom designers while creating new collections of ceramic tiles. From year to year craftsmen reproduce pictures of well-known artists, photos elements, sketches or children drawings on ceramics. These days art trend moved to a new level – with both selecting objects for reproducing and implementation of the design idea.

New Classics of Any Genre

Variety of new trends in ceramic tiles design amazes and gives full scope to art and selection of the only correct trend. Today fashion is good by being cosmopolite. However on closer look one can notice some similarity specific to all interior design in general.

One way or another, with all variety of themes, forms and colors – either it is ceramic tiles or sliding wardrobe model – art deco style rules the object design world these days, invisibly and subtly but skillfully and persistently. Don’t the same imitations and paintings, luxurious leather and expensive species of wood imitations, painting of various flora and fauna objects refer exactly to it? Today’s art-deco is different – it is based on nuances and touches, not showing up to the full extent. But because of it its presence isn’t less visible. Using its motifs designers skillfully spice almost any bathroom interior – from high-tech to country. It is also used in design of luxurious hotels, as well as in gallery space, private inns and bathrooms…  So imitation, bionics and art are samples of art-deco style implementation in its new interpretation. This style is expensive, intellectual, presentable – became a trend already. Art-deco elements usage demands professional skills and good taste, but result usually exceeds the best expectations.

© Copyright 2006-2009 London house extension

March 2007 – Fashion, style and elegance has begun to enter the kitchen. Rather than just the chefs looking great, their tools are beginning to take on a more contemporary visage. What started out as a niche market with small appliances increasingly straying from the tried and tested blueprint of a white outer shell, refrigerators and cookers are now changing too; perhaps the term “white goods” is outdated in today’s cosmopolitan world as manufacturers are producing appliances with a glossy black appearance.

With reality TV and celebrity chefs combining to influence much of the general public’s everyday life, it’s no wonder that there’s a shift in the focal point of the modern day family. The kitchen has been moved more into the eye line with open plan living areas, thus coordination and design have also become just as important for the cooking space. Just like furniture, as kitchen appliances aren’t being bought just because of their functionality, but increasingly because of their design and desirability.

Maytag have responded to consumer wishes by producing a range of black American fridge freezers. The glossy, reflective black fascia is technology borrowed from the more traditionally luxurious car market. The end product is a brilliant mirror-like finish that appeals to emotions rather than just the practical senses. Samsung have also entered the black refrigerator market, with 3 different models in its RS21 range. The trademark glass black finish usually reserved for their TVs and mobile phones has been translated flawlessly to add sophistication to the market.

Whirlpool, Bosch and SMEG haven’t been left out of the black refrigerator market, either. All three manufacturers have produced highly desirable classy American fridge freezers, all intended to appeal to the fashion conscious, with Bosch declaring that ‘black is back’. SMEG have taken styling and design in the kitchen even further by making standing fridges available with a Union Jack themed livery.

Design, sophistication, flair – all these terms are the messages that black glossy appliances are designed to convey. It’s easy to forget that this latest fashion accessory is just a fridge, but this statement itself would be some way off the mark too. These USA fridge freezers invariably come with the same features as those seen on American TV sitcoms. They open up like wardrobes, revealing a huge amount of storage space, and plenty of flexibility with the arrangement of shelving. Humidity control, frost free freezing, special cooling technology and an external ice dispenser generally come as standard. Rest assured that different manufacturers will have differing technologies to sell, so potential buyers will have plenty to choose from.

The fashionable trend setters among us will be clamouring to get their hands on this new wave of trendy kitchen appliances, and many people will also discover how hard it is to resist these gorgeous items. It’s a trend that’s likely to continue, and there will probably be even better looking designs and objects available for the kitchen in the future. Like football boots, where the traditional all black leather design is now a rarity, white coloured kitchen appliances could well become retro in a few years. It’s conceivable that in the near future black won’t be cool, but rather just another colour available to an ever discerning consumer.