A To Z Blogging Challenge: Tea Leaf Reading Dictionary “D”

Hi, and welcome back to the A to Z Blogging Challenge – Tea Leaf Reading Symbol Dictionary! We are already at the letter D today, and I am having so much fun sharing this exciting info with you.  For some extra fun, I wanted to share with you a short list of other forms of divination, you might not have heard off. There are of course many more, but then this would become a little to long for a blog post. Enjoy!

ARITHMANCY or ARITHMOMANCY is an earlier form of NUMEROLOGY where divination is made through numbers and the number value of letters.

ASTRAGLOMANCY or ASTRAGYROMANCY is a form of divination by dice where the faces of the dice bear numbers and letters.


‘AUGURY is the general term for the art of divination and is chiefly applied to interpretations of signs and omens.

AUSTROMANCY is divination by the study of the winds.

AXIOMANCY is divination through the observation of how an ax or hatchet quivers or points when driven into post.

BELOMANCY is an ancient form of divination performed by tossing or balancing arrows.

BIBLIOMANCY involves divination by books.

BOTANOMANCY is divination from burning tree branches and leaves.

CAPNOMANCY is the study of smoke rising from a fire.

CATOPTROMANCY is an early form of crystal gazing that utilizes a mirror turned to the moon to catch moonbeams.

CAUSIMOMANCY is divination from the behavior of objects placed in a fire.

 

But now, let’s get back to our Tea Leaf Reading Symbols.

Letter D:

Dagger: this symbols has been interpreted to both mean favors from a friend as well as potential danger, with its distance from the person read for the deciding factor of how worrisome  that danger actually is. I personally find that in a reading this symbol should be considered a weapon and therefore as a warning, but not necessarily a physical danger.

Deer: a bad symbol for business ventures – the path you are taking mostly likely will lead to failure, adjustments are in order to calm the situation, or better yet a complete change in course direction

Dogs: this symbol should be read while considering what dogs mean to the person read for. If they are a dog person, this is generally a favorable sign, if they are afraid of dogs, than this speaks of their inner-most fears, fears that need to be overcome.

Dove: a lucky symbol, with a very personal message attached, comfort and hope, and for the business person this is a very fortunate omen. Look out for more guidance, maybe even from someone who has passed on, or is too far away to reach you in person. A messenger bird with a happy meaning.

Dragon: great and sudden changes with an element of disruption and possible danger

 

Backpain Relief: A Lumbar Pillow That Eased It All

As some of my readers know, my daughter has Chronic Tic Syndrome. One of her symptoms is often back pain. So we are constantly on the look-out for something that makes her more comfortable. A little ago we were offered the 5 in 1 New Memory Foam Cushion lumbar pillow by Ziraki to review, which brought almost immediate relief to her aching back. Making sitting during school work so much more comfortable, this pillow brought her the much-needed comfort and support she needed. After a few days of constant use, she announced happily that her backpain had lessoned, and after a few more days it brought even greater relief. The lumbar pillow comes with a cooling pad, which we not really could try out, as it had been surprisingly cool since we got it. What will truly put it to the test, will be the upcoming Las Vegas summer months, which often have a daily temperature above 100 and more.
Because it worked so well for my daughter, I am going to purchase another pillow for my truck driving husband, who sits in the driver seat for many hours every day. He took it only for a short spin, stating how it fit perfectly against his driver seat,
feeling comfortable and snug.
The pillow comes with straps, that adjust to any type of chair and seat, so it is very versatile – from use in the office, to use
during driving.

If you are looking for a lumbar pillow that brings you true relief, purchase 5 in 1 New Memory Foam Cushion Lumbar Pillow

And for my readers, I have a special discount offer:

GET 20 % DISCOUNT OF THE ZIRAKI PILLOW SET, WITH THE FOLLOWING PROMO CODE :

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Disclaimer: I have received the above-mentioned pillow for free, in return for an honest review. Opinions are mine.
This post contains affiliate links. See Disclosure page for details.

40 Things That Make Me Happy – And Why You Should Make a Happiness List, Too

There are times in our lives when trying to remember those little things we usually enjoy, becomes a difficult feat. May it be, because we experienced loss, are suffering from depression, going through marital problems or have financial trouble, a list of things that make us happy, can remind us of what we have, and help us for a moment to create a more hopeful state of mind to work from.

Here are 40 Things That Make Me Happy  – No Matter What

1. Hugs from my kids
2. The excitement of my dogs, when I get home
3. Coffee
4. Thumbprint cookies
5. Great, fresh bread
6. the scent of rain
7. Ducks upon a pond
8. the sound of a horse breathing
9. Drama television shows
10. a good romance novel
11. getting a text message from a friend
12. online banking
13. blog groups and link ups
14. taking pictures
15. designing/creating/working on a piece of my art
16. warm socks
17. flannel sheets
18. hibiscus tea
19. the sound of birds in the trees
20. spring time
21. black and white photography
22. inspirational quotes
23. flowers
24. the theater
25. a fresh, new notebook to fill with ideas
26. typing “The End” after a long short story, or a book
27. Jared Leto (yes, I am weird, lol)
28. being “cleaned” by my cat
29. A comfortable sofa
30. Nutella
31. a smooth-writing pen
32. Irish Dance
33. traveling
34. German chocolate
35. strawberry cheesecake
36. Happy Endings in stories
37. thick, white snow
38. trees
39. squirrels eating peanuts
40. my dog barking in her sleep

What do you have on your list? Why not create your own post and share it with us in the comment section below!

 

Check out the following journals for your gratitude and happiness lists:

Flower Power, Ivy by Sophie Gamand
from: Redbubble

Nine by fioski
from: Redbubble

Caterpiano by Jorge Lopez
from: Redbubble

Book Review: Delicious DIY Coffee Recipes That Will Impress

(Disclaimer: I received this book for free in exchange for an honest review. This post contains affiliate links, see Disclosure page for details)
Book Review: Delicious DIY Coffee Recipes That Will Impress and Bring Out the Home Barista In Everyone: The Home Barista Series: Volume 1 (Delicious DIY Coffee Recipes … In Everyone:The Home Barista Series)

Author: Cut To The Chase Media

Genre: Cooking, Beverages

Rating: 4/5 Stars

The unusual recipes absolutely sparked by attention, especially with ingredients like Nutella and KitKat, which – for a chocolate lover and coffee addict like me, is like a dream come true.
At 22 recipes, this book is way too short, though. From a cookbook, I expect a few more recipes. Also, while some people might like the fact that it has no fluff, it does not even contain any information about the Author, and barely an introduction.

Overall the concept and the recipes are great, and well thought through, but because it was so short, I was somewhat disappointed.

You also may like:

B130 DeskPro Coffee Maker
 my personal favorite machine, when I want a quick cup of coffee.

8 Tips To Spring Clean Your Pinterest Account

Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links. See Disclosure page for details

Spring will hopefully be upon us soon, and during this time of the year, spring cleaning is on the mind of many. Why not extend this sentiment to your social media presence? Today, I will be talking about getting your Pinterest account ready for ultimate performance by doing some simple spring cleaning.

Etsy Empire Available on Amazon Now!

Before we talk about cleaning and organizing your boards make sure your profile has been optimized:

1. Make sure your website/blog have been verified
2. Make sure your description contains your relevant keywords
3. Update your profile picture, preferably using one that features your face.

 

 

 

Now to the eight tips to spring clean your Pinterest boards:

1. Move your seasonal boards into the correct order according to your season, for example, your spring and summer collections should be pulled forward while your winter collection should be on the very end of your boards at the moment.
2. Combine any boards that have only a few pins
3. Delete boards that either have too little amount of pins and can not be consolidated with another board, no longer fit into your website/brand/blog niche or do not have a large following.
4. Move your most popular boards to the front – use Pinterest analytics tools to see which boards are the most popular/ active at the moment, and display them as the first two rows. Remember that when looks at your profile, those are the only ones they initially see.
5. Edit board descriptions – make sure all of your boards contain relevant keywords and updated information to make them easy to be found in the search results.
6. Split large boards into two boards – narrowing down some boards to a separate subject matter makes it easier for the followers to find your individual pins.
7. Update your boards featured image – move your most popular pins to the featured position, in order to draw in more followers. But most importantly make sure that the featured pin describes your boards content well.
8. Check your pin’s URL’s. Make sure your pins go the actual post or merchandise with the correct link like they are supposed to. If not, change that immediately.

Pinterest Power Available on Amazon Now

A few more tips to keep you sane during the Pinterest Spring Cleaning

1. Choose only one or maybe two specific tasks to complete every day
2 Be clear about what you want to accomplish with your Pinterest presence – what do you want your boards and profile to say about you – do this before you start any spring cleaning, so you have a clear mission in mind.
3. Keep the amount of the group boards you are a part of to no more than 15 but no less than 5. Make sure they are all relevant to your brand and mission.

Have a great day!

Claudia

A Gift I Did Not Know I Needed – Herb Scissors

 

Disclaimer: The following post is a sponsored post and contains affiliate links. I received the item for free in return for an honest review. See disclosure page for details

We use a lot of herbs and spices in our daily life. From making our own spice mixes to creating our own tea blends, making our own sauces, and cooking for friends, I spent a lot of time cutting up rosemary and chives, basil and oregano. While a proper kitchen knife is a fine enough tool to get the herbs and spices needed in a proper size, it is not as convenient and fast as the Five-Layered Herb Scissors from Marky Products. Armed with that surprisingly heavy, sturdy and sharp tool, I “cut” my prep time to a few seconds, slicing through anything needed to make the perfect spaghetti sauce and all of the fresh herbs needed for our salad dressings.

Five-Bladed Herb Scissors from Marky Products

Yes, the herbs get stuck in between the five blades, but thankfully the product comes with a small, green “comb”, which cleans between each blade, making the cleanup also a quick action. The five-layered herb scissors are one of those products, I did not know, I needed until it arrived at my doorstep.

Let me give you a quick review summary:

Pro:

1.  Sturdy, heavy duty scissors, that are easy to handle and feel comfortable in my hands.

2. the scissors are comfortable for both right and left-handed people (me), as well as people with bigger hands (my husband)

3. Cuts the cooking prep down to a fraction of the time

4. cleans easy,  due to the cleaning tool included with the scissor purchase

Con:

1. the cleaning tool is another little thing that is easily lost in an already full gadget drawer. It would be even better if the cleaning tool would attach somehow to the scissors for a more convenient storage.

Overall I highly recommend the Five-layer herb scissors from Marky Products as a great addition to a household that cooks a lot, and is into clean, fresh cooking that includes a lot of fresh herbs.

You can purchase the useful herb scissors on Amazon today, and get free two-day shipping with Amazon Prime!

Friday Gratitude: Family, Friends and Favorites

 

This blog post  contains affiliate links. See my disclosure page for more information

Do you have an attitude of gratitude? If you do, congratulations. If you are still wondering how to get one, and you own your own blog, I suggest partaking in the many wonderful blog hops that foster weekly listing of gratitude. Just check out the following list of blog hops that happen every week, connect with us, via their link and post your very own list!

Lexa Cain’s Celebrate The Small Things

Thankful Thursdays by Pepi Smart Dog

Thankful Thursday Link Up

What am I grateful for this week?

I am grateful for having such supportive and well-behaved children. Both of them are kind, loving and self-disciplined individuals who are slowly growing toward adulthood. I am proud to be their mother.

I am grateful for my husband, who work hard to make sure that no matter what happens, everyone is taken care off. He was not given anything by anyone, rather often neglected as the youngest in his needs and pursuits, yet he is the one with a thriving family. That is a testimony to his strength and commitment to us.

Dog Drinking Coffee Poster

I am grateful for all of the friends I have had along the way. The friends who were there to laugh and cry along with me, some of whom are far away, as we have moved and traveled not only throughout this great country, but also overseas. We made connections as far as Europe and as close as Las Vegas, and we cherish every single one of them. Oh, and I should not forget to mention those who I count as friends, even though we never met in person – from a Wedding Organizer in Dubai to a Kindle Publishing Writer in India.

My New Favorite Blanket “Millie Throw In Sky” by Joss and Main

I am grateful for my favorite things: coffee, thumbprint cookies, enthusiastic dog licks, vegan chocolate peanut butter, hiking shoes, flannel bed sheets, soft blankets, and books, always books.

What and who are you grateful for this week? Share in the comment section below, post your own blog post, and link up with us, or write it in your journal. Whatever you choose to do, be grateful!

Blessings!

Claudia

This blog post is also a part of the following blog hops:

No Rules Weekend Blog Party

Inspire me Wednesdays

Be Inspired! 

Book Review: Girl Gone London – An American Girl’s Guide To Studying Abroad In London

(Disclaimer: A copy of this book was given to me by the Author free of charge, in return for an honest review. Opinions and experiences are completely my own)

Title: Girl Gone London – An American Girl’s Guide To Studying Abroad In London

Author: Girl Gone London

Publishing Date: available now

Available at: PayHip.com to download

Rating: 5 out of 5 Stars

The reason I was interested in a book about studying abroad is because of my daughter. As a young person who is about to go to College, and with a European Mother ( I was born in Germany), she is very aware of the possibilities and opportunities of studying abroad.

Still, I was not informed enough about the details to help her make a well-researched decision if  she would decide to study out of the country, and help her to decide where that would be.

This guide is a great place to start getting the information needed to make these decisions.

Very well written, in a light conversational and entertaining tone, Girl Gone London’s book  is a quick and comfortable read filled with plenty of detailed information. For example, I did not know that it was difficult for a student from the US to open a bank account in the UK, a very important point that needs to be kept in mind when you are planning on staying for more than 6 months in the UK.

I am glad that I was given a copy of this book to review, and I handed it as soon as I was done reading it, to my daughter, convinced that she will be able to make a more informed decision about what her educational future will look like, and what possibilities​ she has from here on out.

I thank the Author for giving me this peace of mind.

 

Blessings

Claudia

How To Get Started In Zazzle Affiliate Marketing

 

You probably already know how  – at least in theory – to make money as an affiliate on Zazzle. But for those of you who are new to the website, allow me to share a quick recap of Zazzle’s affiliate program 

Becoming a Zazzle affiliate is really simple. It takes only about 10 minutes to do and to learn exactly how to make money as an affiliate. Once creating an account with Zazzle – if you are a designer with this program already, you will not have to sign up again, you already get an affiliate account and number, automatically. But if you just want to sign us as an affiliate, you never have to design anything. Simply follow the prompts that Zazzle gives you, and visit their associate page, where you are   is given a unique user code. Each time you share a product on the various social media outlets or via your own web page, using the share button that is a part of every product listing, your affiliate number will be automatically embedded, if you are signed in. That way you earn a 15 percent commission off any sale that is made through that link.

That is the theory behind It.

But like with everything else that sounds too easy, to be true, it is not that easy as it sounds.

First you have to convince people to actually click your links. That is the easiest part, as long as you are not spamming people. The second part is harder – to convince them to actually purchase the items or any item on Zazzle.

How do you do that?

There are quite a few ways you can convince potential customers to actually purchase an item on Zazzle. They are not limited to the list below, and with a lot of creativity, you are surely to come up with more ideas than I have listed, but consider this a start

1.You have targeted the correct audience. If you are trying to get people to buy pretty designer ties, and most of your audience and followers are women, you might get an occasional sale, but not too many. Know who your target audience is, know who your followers are, match the products you offer accordingly. The more niche your audience, the easier the sale.
2.You have established their trust. All of what you have to offer on your website or on your social media accounts are of high quality, and your followers know that they can trust your lead. Only then will they purchase from Zazzle via you, rather than some of the other print on demand sites, or simply Amazon.
3.You have a large enough following. Establish a base following first, before you are trying to sell stuff online. If no one reads, watches, or clicks on your stuff, simply because they do not know you exist, make yourself known first. There are a variety of ways to build up social media followings, and there are plenty of books and workshops on how to build your brand and yourself, some of which are available via CreativeLive.
4.You are very picky about what you share. Don’t just share any old product from Zazzle. Not all of the designs are high quality, and even if most of them are, sharing outdated, hastily designed, or poorly executed products will not get you a sale. Be picky what designers you work with.
5.You have established relationships with designers. Some designers offer an availability of custom orders. Know which designers go above and beyond regular customer service, and tell them that you want to promote their work. If you mention your particular niche – like for example, Yoga and Reiki Business Cards, and they already make business cards for other professions, they might take their time to create designs that fit your niche even better than before. That way you have always fresh content and both of you can increase your sales and profit. A win-win situation.

I hope this short overview was helpful. And as always, remember to diversify your passive income strategies in order to be able to make a living with your online adventures.

Blessings

Claudia

Best of Zazzle – Gifts For Her

 

Christmas is almost here, and while I put a big dent on my shopping list, I am like many of my friends, not completely finished picking out something special for everyone. And because I prefer to give something as unique as the people whom I share the holiday season with, I stop by my fellow designers on Zazzle for that different, out of the ordinary gift.

Here are my 5 favorites for the women on my list:

 

 

Engraved Moscow Mule Copper Mug, 16 oz by HomeWetBar

Classic and elegant.

Welsh Corgi Women’s Hoodie Dress by ArtisanAbigail

I am biased – I have a Welsh-Gorgi/Beagle rescue, so I can not resist anything that resembles her.

Purple Bismuth iPhone 6 Case by WellAintThatNice

Now I love eye-catching designs, and this case is hard to ignore. What a stylish way to dress up and protect your iPhone!

Laurel Wreath Custom Gray Serving Platter by SAGiftsandDesign

A beautiful and unique personalized platter, that fits with any decor. I love the simple elegance of this piece.

Beige Monogram Trellis | Round Pouf by FINEandDANDY

No favorite reading corner is complete without a puff to rest my upon.

Aren’t these beautiful? I hope this made your shopping a little easier. Remember that the above products are designed by independent artists, who truly appreciate your support.

Have a wonderful week!

Claudia

(Disclaimer: The above links to my fellow Zazzle designers are affiliate links. Any profit made from sales does not take away from the designers profits and helps me to continue to promote their work and offer advice for their creative endeavours. )