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A decent portfolio must cover a lot of bases. Apart from actually showcasing your work, the text alongside each piece must give the right level of context. Not only that, it must also be designed well enough to catch people's attention without shifting focus away from the work itself.
Finding a suitable theme among the myriad available could be difficult, especially if you're unsure of the functionality you require. You're looking for a simple way to organize and display your work, along with attractive typography and design options. You may also consider whether a theme is bundled with slider and/or lightbox plugins, to further enhance your work.
Rather than wade through theme after theme, however, let us offer you our pick of the bunch – below we've provided over 30 of the best options available for showcasing your portfolio.
Regardless of your niche, a theme with a rock solid foundation of quality coding and fantastic support enables you to focus on the task of building your website. If the developer can throw an easy to use and powerful interface into the bargain – much like Divi (review) – you've hit the jackpot.
Elegant Themes is a major WordPress theme developer, and Divi is one of the most popular multipurpose solutions. Here we'll focus on its portfolio-building capabilities. Although its basic grid and one-column layouts are functional, they still ooze class. However, it's the full-width versions that really excite us. Portfolios can be displayed in a checkerboard style or a carousel, and you can also take advantage of the bundled drag-and-drop Divi Builder to create stunning pages for each entry.
Divi is one of the most popular, powerful, flexible, and well-supported themes around – and because of that, regardless of your niche, you'll be getting a world-class theme for your website.
Plenty of themes claim to be flexible, but do they truly back up that claim? There's no debate among existing Oshine users – they already know how powerful and flexible this theme can be.
Although it's marketed as a multipurpose theme, Oshine is really focused on creatives such as photographers and designers. Nowhere is this more apparent than in the options for building a portfolio. Notice that we said "options" rather than layout choices. That's because you can choose to build your portfolio from the ground up, setting options such as the section gutters, columns, overlays, and more.
In addition, there are eight hover choices and seven title styles. You can even display your work in a number of different carousels, sliders, galleries, and lightboxes. Simply put, practically any portfolio layout is possible with Oshine, and it will satisfy even the most demanding designers.
In a realm where themes are often marketed as flexible, it's often disappointing when they fall short of expectations. Not so with Oshine – it's a superlative theme, completely up to the task of displaying your portfolio with the highest quality and flexibility.
Portfolios are all about putting your creativity on display. They need to show who you are and what you can do, all in a few pages. To pull it off, you need a theme that bleeds creativity — Asata could be your pick.
This theme includes a modest six, ready-to-go website designs you can use to set up your portfolio. The options include home pages with galleries to display your work and pricing tables. You also get contact pages, About Me sections, and much more. Most of the designs are similar in that they're colorful, modern, and make excellent use of white space to highlight key elements.
Asata comes with some interesting features out of the box, such as loading animations you can set up for each page. You'll also get multiple premium plugins bundled in, including Slider Revolution and WPBakery Page Builder. With the latter, you can easily customize any aspect of your portfolio in minutes through drag-and-drop functionality — no code required.
Setting up a portfolio shouldn't take forever. With the right theme, you get access to features that makes customization easier and a choice of ready-to-go designs that enable you to save setup time. Asata ticks both those boxes, so check it out — the theme could make your business boom!
An appealing portfolio can win you new business, so a theme to help present your work well is a must. With customizable branding options and an array of stylish layouts, Uncode may fit the bill.
A theme designed to showcase your work would be nothing without a number of layout options, and Uncode delivers on all counts. There are over 16 portfolio and blog post layouts built-in (all with custom options), and over 70 ways to display content – including masonry, metro, and carousel layouts. Media is displayed within a lightbox provided by the bundled iLightBox plugin, and the LayerSlider and Revolution Slider plugins can prominently display any work you're proud of.
Page layouts are handled with the included Visual Composer plugin – this version being tailored to provide some streamlined layout options – and six menu styles, enabling you to create the right navigation to suit your site. There are also extensive font choices available from Google Fonts, Font Squirrel, Fontdeck, and Typekit. If you want to hit the ground running, the developers have provided over 30 demos to install, all with one-click import.
Additionally, the developers have provided extensive online documentation and a set of narrated video tutorials, to give you a helping hand if needed.
Overall, Uncode is a near-perfect theme for displaying your portfolio with style.
There are two paths to follow when creating a portfolio site: you can either use a niche-specific theme, or a multipurpose option. The knee-jerk reaction is to opt for something designed for the type of site you're creating. However, a large-scale theme such as TheGem can have a lot more to offer under the hood.
This theme is particularly well suited to portfolios that are heavy on visuals. TheGem includes four different layouts, each of which puts images front and center. You can use these to get a quality portfolio up and running in no time, although you can also spend as much time as you like tweaking them to meet your specific requirements.
To that end, the bundled Visual Composer page builder plugin provides a drag-and-drop interface and a wealth of 'content blocks' to help you create layouts. What's more, managing your portfolio on the WordPress back end is a breeze.
We've written about TheGem plenty of times here at aThemes, but it's worth mentioning again. This theme is a top-drawer choice regardless of your requirements, and we'd recommend checking it out further.
In a nutshell, Werkstatt is a modern creative portfolio theme with a range of stunning layout options. It maintains a chic and minimalist look while offering endless possibilities for showcasing your images and designs.
No less than fifteen portfolio templates, all benefitting from a drag-and-drop interface, make customization a cinch. And with 19 gorgeous one-click demos, all you have to do is add your content and you're up and running. Every demo is created using Visual Composer, and each element can be moved from one to another with ease. With this kind of control, creating a truly unique site is no challenge. Werkstatt also has full WooCommerce support, should you want to sell your products or services from your website.
The possibilities with this theme are practically endless. It offers numerous pre-built layouts and plenty of customization features to make them your own. If you want to add a blog section to your site you can select from seven pre-built styles. Finally, there are also over 3,000 fonts to ensure your text is as beautiful as your imagery. In conclusion, Werkstatt arguably has everything you need to create a uniquely impactful portfolio website, and is well worth your consideration.
Every freelancer dreams of growth. You want to expand your client list, income, freedom, and myriad other things. If this rings true to you, Growth could be the perfect theme.
The central theme here is all about showcasing your best work. To do this, Growth relies on a modern design used on its multiple demo sites. You can easily import any of the theme's pre-built portfolios and add your own work. Top it off with your qualifications and a good headshot, and you're ready to hunt jobs!
However, Growth isn't just about style. It integrates out of the box with the Elementor page builder plugin, which makes it easy to customize your layouts using drag-and-drop functionality. As such, you can tweak almost any element you see on the page so it suits your overall style and vision.
If you're struggling to find new clients as a freelancer, your portfolio might be in need of a 'pick-me-up.' Growth might just be the perfect theme to help you land your next big project, so check it out and see what you think!
What do you like about a strong piece of creative work? We'd bet that attention-grabbing elements are high on the list. Fortunately, with a theme such as Penumbra, you can create a website that helps to enhance your work and make it stand out.
In its default configuration, this theme is ideal for high-art portfolios. The combination of typography, color, and 'microinterations' lends itself well to showcasing pinpoint angles and bolder palettes.
On the subject of microinteractions, you might notice that the background text includes a slight parallax effect. This is subtly done, but it helps lead the eye to the right areas – even tiny movements help a website become more dynamic and captivating.
There's plenty more on offer in Penumbra, but overall, it's a theme that does one thing very well. When it comes to showcasing a striking portfolio, it might be just what you need!
If you're a creative person, you may be looking for a theme to help you showcase your talents. Whether you need to feature a photography portfolio, a gallery of restaurant dishes, or high-resolution images of your beautiful products, Bridge may be perfect for you.
Bridge is designed from the ground up for creatives, packed with no less than 376 demo sites that you can pick from as a starting point. It also features modules for creating web magazines, listing websites, and visually-stunning blogs and shops. In addition, this theme offers a comprehensive admin panel, social media integration, and SEO optimization, along with several bundled plugins (including Visual Composer and LayerSlider).
The wealth of demo sites and layout concepts on offer truly make Bridge stand out from the crowd. Each is fully customizable to match your needs, and step-by-step instructive video tutorials make the learning process quick. This theme also has plugins available specifically for news, restaurant, and listing sites, as well as for enabling front-end login functionality.
Overall, Bridge has the power and customizability needed to create a truly stunning website, especially for those who prefer to use stunning colors and powerful images.
Photography portfolios might seem like a simple concept, but creating a truly excellent website can be a challenge. It's not just about uploading a few images and calling it a day, you also need to 'wow' viewers. In short, Timber can help.
Timber enables you to showcase your images using different types of galleries and views. You can use thumbnails, horizontal galleries, and even full-screen layouts. Whatever approach you want to use, Timber offers some stylish navigation in the form of smooth transition effects. The theme also includes incredibly in-depth details pages for each picture, in case you want to add project-specific information.
Timber doesn't offer many customization options beyond the basics we've already mentioned. However, it does integrate with the free WooCommerce plugin out of the box, which makes it an excellent option if you're looking for a theme that'll enable you to sell prints or digital files.
Overall, Timber offers a way to achieve two key goals of a photography website: showing off your work and selling it. Its combination of features is a winning formula, so it is well worth adding to your shortlist.
If you were asked to describe a portfolio theme, what would come to mind? We bet that you'd mention minimalism, contrast, and monochrome color schemes. However, prepare to turn that expectation on its head – Sahel has arrived.
With this theme, the traditional blacks and whites give way to pastel and bold tones. Another difference is Sahel's approach to minimalism. The theme's focus is to make your work front and center, while providing movement and leading lines across your website. It's certainly unique, and coupled with the wealth of demo templates that are included, you can create something that will stand out from the crowd.
Using Sahel is an all-around enjoyable experience. It's different, and perfect for those with contemporary work that needs to grab people's attention. We encourage you to check out the demo, and see for yourself!
Above all, a strong portfolio needs to place your work front and center. Fortunately, there are many solutions on the market offering to help you do exactly that. If you're feeling like the available options are a little 'samey', however, you may want to consider Zugan.
Of course, this theme isn't just for personal portfolios. It's also ideal for small- and mid-sized businesses that want to show off what they can do. As such, there are a few different demo layouts to choose from, including key elements such as full-screen sliders, testimonial sections, dedicated space to discuss your services, and much more.
Zugan also excels in helping you create a site with a polished and professional look. This is partly due to the default font and layout choices, but also heavily relies on what developers would refer to as Zugan's 'core'. You can build custom layouts using the Elementor page builder plugin, for instance, and there's compatibility with popular plugins such as Yoast SEO, WPML, and WooCommerce.
Overall, this theme gives the impression that if you were to drop it, there wouldn't be a dent. This is due to the stellar work Zugan's developers have put into this theme, and we'd recommend it to anyone looking to showcase both their portfolio and business!
A truly outstanding portfolio theme will harmonize gorgeous imagery with effortless navigability. Though most portfolio themes offer plenty of ways to arrange bold, striking imagery, optimizing the user's experience could take work. Fortunately, this is not the case with Pofo.
Out of the box, the WPBakery Page Builder plugin (formerly Visual Composer) is bundled with Pofo, enabling you to drag and drop site layout elements with ease. Also bundled with Pofo is the Slider Revolution plugin, which lets you build gorgeous, responsive portfolio content. Pofo also includes more than 25 demo templates to help you get up and running quickly.
Pofo stands apart from the competition due to its flexible customizations and outstanding performance. Its myriad demos, menu options, and header sets make it ideal for building a site regardless of your requirements. The theme is also compatible with the W3 Total Cache plugin and integrates smoothly with WooCommerce too!
While the wealth of options Pofo offers could be daunting, it's going to be ideal for anyone looking to create a robust portfolio site that is scalable and flexible. In short, Pofo is a worthy consideration for your portfolio website.
Creative work requires a unique presentation. The way you display your work is so vital, in fact, that in some cases it takes precedence over everything else. When standing out among your competitors is that important, a theme like Collective can be essential for displaying your portfolio effectively.
The visuals in this theme are certainly attention-grabbing. Since first impressions matter, there are a number of home page designs to choose from, most of which are fullscreen. Many include features like descriptive overlays, vertical sliders, and much more. Some are even powered by bundled plugins to help you further customize your content's look – such as the Slider Revolution and WPBakery Page Builder plugins.
The included page builder also lets you tailor your layout to your exact needs, although there are four demos and 12 home page layouts to get you started. Each provides a selection of template pages and practically unlimited portfolio layouts, which are ideal for showing off your work regardless of your niche or industry.
All in all, Collective takes a number of features that could be tough to implement separately, and makes it a breeze to fit them all together. A highly stylish portfolio is at your fingertips with this theme, and it's well worth your consideration!
Looking for your next theme can be frustrating, since so many use similar design elements and the same bundled plugins to achieve their aims. Bifrost is different, however, and arguably offers you greater freedom in the process.
We'll start with the biggest difference between this theme and its competitors – it was built using the bundled Elementor page builder plugin. This is a high-quality tool for creating websites with no coding required, and can simplify a lot of the design work for you.
For example, you'll get many pre-built 'elements' to help you add the right functionality to your site. Also, Elementor includes a powerful header and footer builder, which means you can customize the whole of your site, rather than just specific sections.
All in all, Bifrost would be 'just another theme' without its choice of page builder plugin. However, the inclusion of that tool means you're getting one of the more flexible and powerful themes on the market – a perfect excuse to check out the demo!
Many themes force you to choose between ease of use and flexibility. Not so with LEVELUP, which manages to balance user-friendliness with a wide range of features and enough customization options to create a unique, functional design.
LEVELUP is a multipurpose theme that comes with over 60 pre-made templates and pages to get you started. To add creativity and multimedia content to your website, you can make use of video and live backgrounds as well as sliders, thanks to the bundled Revolution Slider and Royal Slider plugins.
To better serve customers who will be using a range of devices to connect to your site, LEVELUP makes it easy to set up key structural elements with different positioning, sizing, and functionality for different screen types. These elements include headers, backgrounds, logos, and icons.
With an approachable design – which makes it easy to use despite the many powerful features available – combined with a reputation for reliable customer support, LEVELUP is a theme to check out if you're looking for something creative and flexible.
If you know what you're doing, a multipurpose theme incorporating a snazzy portfolio design can be carefully implemented and serve as a well-thought out solution for displaying your work. However, pick a purpose-built theme such as Adios and you'll be confident that you're getting a solution focused on presenting your portfolio in its best light.
Another theme riding on the coattails of the minimalist design bandwagon, Adios nonetheless attempts to stand out by offering nine thoughtful home page layouts. As for the portfolio designs, there are four choices for displaying your work – the ubiquitous grid and masonry layouts, along with a neat horizontal design. Given its focus, we would have expected to see more choices, but those that are available are gorgeous to look at and will do justice to your body of work.
It's puzzling that a theme marketed as portfolio-centric offers so little choice for displaying your work, but that being said, there's enough here to make Adios a go-to theme – especially for low-concept creatives.
It's worth remembering that your portfolio isn't the only thing that should stand out on your website. The presentation of the rest of the site is just as important, and can help convey the overall message you intend to deliver. Enter Assemble.
This theme exudes style and class, and has an air of Scandinavian minimalism. The stunning visuals go even further with a plethora of portfolio styles on offer. The standard portfolio layouts (such as grid and masonry) are gorgeous as is, but the other varieties are much more head-turning. We're especially impressed by the Split Slider Showcase, and the way its transition animation breathes life into static pages is something to see for yourself.
If your portfolio has an artsy bent, Assemble will enhance its presentation. However, if your work is a little less refined, this theme will elevate it a few notches due to its stunning design and animations. It's definitely one for the shortlist.
If you place great emphasis on flexibility when it comes to building a portfolio, but still want to work on a user-friendly interface, Arnold is a stellar option. Simple and neat, the theme could be ideal for creative professionals looking to create a gorgeous website.
Arnold's polished, minimalist front end conceals a plethora of useful customization features, making it easy to create a unique website. There are 600 Google Fonts, over 400 Font Awesome icons, myriad page layout configurations, eight header options, and virtually unlimited color schemes included.
However, what makes Arnold really stand out is its intuitive custom portfolio builder, which lets you organize (and add images to) your portfolio in seconds using a drag and drop interface. What's more, you can also scale images based on their best orientation. This is particularly handy if you are displaying a variety of items, and want to ensure that each product can be seen in detail.
In a nutshell, Arnold is a superb choice for showcasing your portfolio for maximum appeal, giving you a much easier job of earning exposure for your portfolio.
The current trend in web design is toward minimalism, but those espousing the format often forget one thing: when it comes to your portfolio, your website can only be as minimalist as your work. With that in mind, Notio is ideal for showcasing ornate, complex, and intricate creative works.
There are a plethora of portfolio layouts in Notio, although the developers are loathe to call them templates. Each design is created using the bundled Visual Composer plugin, so in reality, almost any layout is at your fingertips.
The designs themselves are based on a masonry grid layout, each thumbnail appearing almost larger than life on the screen. We particularly like the non-standard designs – the vertical and horizontal full screen portfolio layouts are imposing, while the text-based styles are punkish and edgy.
If you're creating work on the cutting edge that's loud, busy, or ornate, you'll love Notio. It's quirky and cool, and does enough to deserve your attention.
Another example of a minimalist portfolio theme, Bramble doesn't have the eye-catching animations of other examples in this collection, but it can still turn heads nonetheless.
Bramble offers nine different homepage layouts to choose from, but we're focusing on its portfolio layout. Rather than the common horizontal header, this theme utilizes a left-hand navigation that is just a little too narrow for our liking. Unlike a theme such as Twenty Fifteen, the navigation here doesn't feel balanced by the rest of the page – it leaves you looking for a button to expand a slide-in menu instead.
On to the portfolio layouts. They're chunky and prominent, and the designs are simple variations on grid or masonry style layouts. However, this is no bad thing, as the designs don't detract from the most important element: your work.
All in all, Bramble is a solid theme that will cater to fans of minimalism. Navigation menu aside, this is one to add to your shortlist pronto.
Putting together the perfect portfolio is an art form. You need to find a way to make your best pieces shine without taking the limelight away from other elements. In many cases, it's best to go with a pared-down, sparse approach — precisely what Segovia offers.
You can choose from over 20 pre-built portfolio layouts here, each with a vibrant color palette. The simple navigation scheme and base layout mean a bold visual portfolio will be the best fit. This same aesthetic extends to other design elements within the theme, including options for pricing and service pages, contact forms, and more.
Using Segovia, you can create password-protected galleries to display clients' custom work. The theme also integrates with both the free Elementor page builder and WooCommerce e-commerce plugins. This means you can even set up a store to generate income.
Overall, Segovia takes no attention away from your work, yet still provides plenty of functionality under the hood. Bold and bright portfolios will find their ideal match here, so check this one out pronto!
Let's face it — many online portfolios can be rather 'cookie-cutter' in design. You'll usually find a few pictures of the site owner and their work, a contact page, and that's it. If you want to break the mold and build something unique, Vavo could be the theme to make that happen.
Right off the bat, you'll notice Vavo approaches portfolio design from an interesting angle. The theme includes eight pre-built website layouts you can select from. Each comes with custom animations and typography, all featuring highly minimalistic design. The results look much more professional than what you'd expect from any old portfolio.
Since typography is critical to Vavo, the theme bundles in the Typography Manager plugin, which lets you import and set up Google Fonts, Adobe Typekit, and other third-party resources. Vavo also comes with its own built-in page builder, which supports all the custom animations we mentioned earlier.
On the whole, a unique portfolio can impact a business positively. As such, if you're ready to take a leap and build a portfolio that's going to catch the eye of everyone who visits, Vavo could be worth adding to your shortlist.
Kalium is designed with portfolios in mind, so it's a perfect choice for creative professionals.
The theme has multiple styles which can be manipulated easily using the Visual Composer, Revolution Slider and LayerSlider plugins – all premium plugins, included in the price, thus saving $63. Also included on the back end is a number of configurable options such as custom fonts, site icons, footer styles, color customization, and social media integration.
Meanwhile, on the retina-ready front end, CSS3 animations are used in a minimalistic way to create a very enjoyable browsing experience. This extends across menus, social media icons and search, which animate in a simple yet effective way to draw the visitor's attention.
The creative portfolio layout can be used in other ways in addition to project listings, because Kalium comes with advanced WooCommerce integration. This is in addition to a plethora of other features in the theme, like a maintenance mode, multiple page layouts and parallax support. Naturally, the theme is also completely responsive.
Kalium deserves a mention for bloggers too; the theme remains clean and eye-catching in blog format. Featured images can be impressive but unintrusive, while post and author meta are understated, really fitting into the flow of the page very attractively.
Kalium is fully documented and its back end is as clean and easy to use as the front. This makes it a very easy theme to use for creating beautiful portfolios and possibly even an online store.
Pitch is branded as the ideal theme for designers and agencies, and there are a myriad of stunning portfolio layouts included to make your work stand out from the competition.
Given that Pitch employs the black on white color scheme that's so popular among modern designers, your work will take center stage. There are a number of portfolio templates to choose from including grid, masonry, and faux-Pinterest styles. Each layout also comes with an adjoined option, enabling you to create a patchwork-like design. Even the individual portfolio pages have a multitude of display options, based on either animating the text or arranging the accompanying images.
Overall, with the huge number of minimalist themes available, it's becoming much harder to create an offering that stands out. Fortunately, Pitch does enough, and should be near the very top of your shortlist.
Portfolio sites often benefit from an air of modern elegance that is difficult to achieve in many themes. Dazzle, however, definitely does not disappoint on this front with its minimalist yet striking design.
This sophisticated theme comes with eight beautifully styled demos and 12 project templates, so you have no shortage of starting points for your design. Customizing your layout is a cinch within the intuitive Visual Composer plugin, which is included along with other premium offerings such as Revolution Slider and Templatera.
Versatile header options and multiple navigation menu designs mean you can showcase your work in an attractive, user friendly manner. You can also wow your visitors with special effects, from parallax backgrounds to on-scroll animated content. And if you want people to buy products directly from your site, Dazzle is WooCommerce compatible, so setting up a store is simple.
This sleek, chic theme has all of the components and functionality needed to create a truly dazzling portfolio.
Lobo is a highly stylized theme; perfect if your creations will fit into such a design seamlessly.
And for those who are not so au fait with WordPress, Lobo is worth further inspection. It's a modular theme, which means that you can piece together the contents using a 'custom module builder', rather than potentially getting your hands dirty with HTML.
Lobo's striking and modern-looking design is responsive across multiple devices (the pullout menu is particularly user-friendly for mobile users). It also comes retina-ready, ensuring that your product images will look crisp on high definition displays.
Clients will have high expectations from a creative agency when it comes to your website. Every page needs to look flawless, and your superior taste needs to shine through with each element. As a tastemaker, you'll probably find a lot you can appreciate in the Victim theme.
There are six different home page designs included here, and every page is almost monochromatic. The few key elements that shine through helps draw the user to your contact forms and call to actions. You can find this same style in Victim's other designs, which include options for portfolio grids and service pages.
Victim integrates with WooCommerce, which is ideal if you plan to sell your services online. It's also easy to customize as it works with the bundled Elementor page builder plugin out of the box.
All in all, if you're looking for a theme that doesn't require a lot of tinkering to make your agency look fantastic, consider giving Victim a shot.
Although Milano has a plethora of layout choices for all manner of visual creatives and agencies, it's their portfolio designs that we're focusing on. However, before we discuss that, let's talk about the theme's overall design.
We feel a little like a broken record: Milano is a minimalist and monochromatic theme for displaying a stunning visual portfolio. However, there are some eye-catching flourishes. The whole site is framed by a thick white border, enabling a subtle grey accent color to soak up the negative space. The default Lovelo display font is also quirky, and in keeping with the overall aesthetic.
On to the portfolio where there are seven different designs to choose from. None really push the envelope in terms of structure – Milano only offers variations on grid, masonry, and full-width designs – but the hover animations are sweet and smooth. However, we'd have liked to have seen the portfolio given a little more focus – the header is almost full screen, quite bare, and feels a bit like wasted space.
Yes, Milano is another in a long line of minimalist themes, but it offers everything visual creatives need to deliver a standout portfolio. Take it for a spin, and your search for the ideal theme could be over!
Grand Portfolio
Grand Portfolio has been designed to cater to all manner of visual design niches and agencies: photographers, bloggers, musicians, fashion designers, architects, and more. While we're unconvinced that a theme can offer functionality relevant to so many niches, its portfolio design quality is without question.
Aptly so, Grand Portfolio contains an absolute plethora of different portfolio designs. While the ubiquitous grid and masonry layouts make an appearance, there are some additional outstanding choices on offer. There are numerous variations on a split screen design, an OS X-style Cover Flow option, both striped and horizontal layouts, and a parallax option that has to be seen to be believed.
While Grand Portfolio could be accused of spreading itself a bit too thin with regard to its demo layouts, there's no questioning its portfolio design. Even the basic layouts look stunning, and for creatives with jaw-dropping visual work to complement it, Grand Portfolio will be an ideal choice for displaying your work.
If you paid attention at school, you'll know that a proton is an essential component of atomic science. In contrast, the Proton theme is looking to drop a bomb on the minimalist themes currently on the market.
Proton is a breathe of fresh air. While other themes claim to be minimalist, they're often missing the two key components that makes the design so appealing: proper selection of fonts and the use of space. Proton excels on both counts – think of a Saatchi & Saatchi designed Twenty Sixteen, and you're almost there.
Unlike other themes, Proton only provides grid and masonry portfolio designs. There's a little movement from some tasteful animations, sure, but the focus is on function – a true minimalist approach.
We're sorry to say that Proton may not appeal to casual users looking to showcase an attention-grabbing portfolio. However, that's to their detriment and other user's benefit – Proton's minimalist design is gorgeous. What's more, given that so many themes bombard users with fancy layouts and animation, Proton's measured approach makes it a true standout among portfolio themes.
Hazel is an amazingly functional and incredibly well designed portfolio theme.
To start with, Hazel's developers show off the theme's versatility by creating 35 unique demos, all with different layouts (that's right: 35!). The screenshot we've put up is of the demo entitled "Norah". The many variations and possibilities the theme offers makes it quite an interesting one to customize. Its portfolio is absolutey exquisite, with neat animation effects and several buttons that come into view when you hover your cursor over a portfolio item.
Megamenus (fullscreen and/or sticky) with anchor functionality, a parallax video slider, an expandable search field, and Ajax page transitions all feature in Hazel. The premium layout builder Visual Composer is included in the theme package free of charge. Besides that, Hazel is stylized for WooCommerce and supports interactive infographics and 6 post formats (standard, audio, video, gallery, link, and quote). Over 30 shortcodes and 600 Google Fonts are integrated with the theme.
Many of the themes featured in this list are highly stylized and dynamic, but Elegant takes a far more, well, elegant approach.
With that in mind, if you're looking for something simple yet striking, Elegant is well worth a look. With a full-width design featuring huge images and fonts, Elegant doesn't pretend to do anything other than draw attention to your content.
I could talk about the different page types (features, agency, shop, etc.), layout type options, image filters and custom header styling, but ultimately Elegant is a theme that will either grab you or leave you somewhat uninspired at first glance.
Portfolio is a stunning new theme release from MyThemeShop. It incorporates multipurpose functionality and great looks into one portfolio theme.
Despite its brief and rather obvious name, Portfolio is anything but average. Its design redefines simplicity, combined with elegance. Big 'n bold images fill the filterable & expandable portfolio, but almost the entire remainder of the design is empty space, a perfect complement to the serif typography. Unlike most themes in its niche, Portfolio also comes with a great blog layout, which showcases its versatility as a WordPress theme.
On the functionality front, you get 14 custom widgets, megamenu capability, unlimited sidebars, plus a few different animation and scrolling effects. It's also translation-ready, packaged with numerous icons, and integrates well with social media.
Almera is a soft and beautiful WordPress theme perfect for professional photographers and artists. It could also suit a freelancer, fashion model or agency as well.
This theme will impress you from the inside out with its fabulous design and powerful functionality. There are awesome sliders included for you to showcase your current and past projects. There are three different homepage layouts to select from so that you can choose exactly how to present your works in their best light.
The layout constructor makes it easy for you to arrange your pages and posts in a few clicks of your mouse. There is a back-end color picker to customize your website's colors and twelve default skins to choose from as well.


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Amazon is offering free downloads of these classic Christian leader's ebooks on your kindle reader. Don't miss out! Click the links below for your free book.
Amazon is offering free downloads of these classic Christian leader's ebooks on your kindle reader. Don't miss out! Click the links below for your free book.
We have made an intentional effort to pass along the two most important things in this world to our kids… To Love God and Love Others. We review it daily on the way to school. While rote memory has a vital role in the life of kids, it started to become too routine. So I added another element to this question.
How do we love God? How do we love others?
This is coming directly from Jesus's mouth in Matt 22:36-40.
36 "Teacher, which is the great commandment in the Law?" 37 And he said to him, "You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. 38 This is the great and first commandment. 39 And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. 40 On these two commandments depend all the Law and the Prophets."
So how do we do that? To help my kids understand this key teaching of the Christian faith I boiled it down to two simple answers.
We love God by being obedient.
We love Others by being kind.
As we are obedient to God we must also obedient to the authorities in our life. For my kids that means teachers, parents, rules, and so on. I want them to understand that as they obey in these different arenas, they are loving God. John 14:15, Jesus says if you love me, you will obey my commands.
As we are kind to others we show them the love that God showed us. We are kind to our peers, those not like us, even the bullies at school. We show kindness because we have received the ultimate kindness from God through His Son Jesus. John 15:12 says, "This is My commandment, that you love one another, just as I have loved you."
So let this be a reminder to you today to love God and love others by being obedient and kind in your daily life.
The Episcopal Church released its 2016 denominational statistics recently. In it researchers found decline of 34,179 in membership. This was an improvement from the decline of 37,669 in 2015. To see the hard data click the 2016 Parochial Report.
Why the hard decline in the US Episcopal Church? I am sure there are a variety of reasons, as it is a complicated issue. But one contributing factor, in my opinion, is their shift toward a liberal interpretation of marriage and sexuality. In 2003 the Episcopal church ordained their first openly gay bishop, Rev. Gene Robinson. It is a dangerous gamble for any church to redefine what God has established in regarding to sexuality which Christianity has been unanimous on for thousands of years. If the things of this world creep into an individual's, or an institution's, priorities, you might find yourself at odds with God.
1 John2:15 Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. 16 For all that is in the world—the desires of the flesh and the desires of the eyes and pride of life—is not from the Father but is from the world.
To be fair, Southern Baptists have their own issues. I admit they too have declined. But the data suggests mainline denominations are declining at a higher rate. (2016: Episcopal – lost 35,000 of 1 million membership = approximately 2%, SBC – lost 77,000 of 15 million membership = approximately .5%) In the article "FactChecker: Are All Christian Denominations in Decline?" the author shows a clear distinction between theologically liberal and conservative denominations. He says, "While conservative churches aren't growing as quickly as they once were, mainline churches are on a path toward extinction. The mainline churches are finding that as they move further away from Biblical Christianity, the closer they get to their inevitable demise."
Powerful words.
And a powerful reminder that faithfulness to sound doctrine is a key ingredient in the health and mission of the church. Let this be an encouragement for biblically faithful doctrine personally, as well as in the leadership of the church you attended. I did not say "your church" because it is not yours, it is the Bride of Christ, bought with His blood, and His alone.
I was in a conversation with some theologically astute friends and the concept of questioning God came up. On one side a friend said most assuredly that it was OK to question God and seek affirmation. On the other side another friend said it is never right to question God because of His holiness. With two opposing viewpoints, what are we to do?
As the conversation was not heated and turned nonchalantly to other topics, the question lingered in my mind.
"Is it ever right to question God?"
How you answer this question has drastic implications on your spiritual life and understanding of reality.
So what did I do? I did what what I teach. Before searching google, before consulting my favorite authors, before getting man's opinion, I turned to God's Word for guidance and asked God for wisdom. And I'm glad I did. The journey is just as important as the destination. As I surveyed the many texts that illustrate this question, I found some surprising insights.
There are multiple cases in the Bible that explicitly say "Don't test God" AND "Do test God"!
What am I to do with that!
I firmly believe in the unity of Scripture, so how do these narratives and principles work together? This was my task. Here is some of the data I sifted through.
Text that say or illustrate, "Don't Test God"
Texts that say or illustrate, "Do test God"
Should we not question? Should we question? Ultimately, I believe this all boils down to a matter of the heart. God refuses to be mocked. He is holy and perfect in a way that demands our respect. He will not be questioned when it comes from a prideful, rebellious heart. Yet, God is a good Father. He knows what is in the heart of man and when we come with humility, admitting we don't know all the answers, He welcomes us to find the answers in Him that we cannot find anywhere else. When it comes to questioning God, we must closely examine the condition of our heart.
Psalm 24 reminds us "Who can ascend the hill of the Lord? He who has clean hands and a pure heart…"
I am reminded of Chris Rice's song "Big Enough" from decades ago. He put into lyric a humble heart crying for answers, and confessing that God is big enough to handle his uncertianty. One line that may resound with you is:
When I imagine the size of the universe, and I wonder what's out past the edges.
Then I discover inside me a space as big, and believe that I'm meant to be filled up with more than just questions.
Tonight my church is celebrating Reformation Day. My good friend at TheWardrobeDoor.com posted some graphics that should be spread like wildfire through social media on Oct. 31st! One of my favorites: When did your blog post earn a Papal rebuttal?
Proverbs 22:6 – Train up a child in the way he should go; even when he is old he will not depart from it.
Familiar words but a heavy implication. Are we training the next generation in the truth and passing on our faith? I was able to preach on just this issue to our congregation.
Listen to it here. .
We must pass along something solid. The bedrock of our faith is: 1.) Who God is, and 2.) What He has said:
Who are you training up? Are you passing along bedrock? Remember the next generation needs us to put Proverbs 22:6 into action.
"Since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. For consider Him who endured such hostility from sinners against Himself, lest you become weary and discouraged in your souls."
—Hebrews 12: 1–3
Run with Passion, Purpose, and Perspective
Hebrews 12 develops the theme of endurance. The first three verses teach us that the key to persistence is passion.
All the men and women of faith in Hebrews 11 "made it" because they felt passionate about their cause. The writer compares our lives to a race and tries to convince us that we must run with endurance if we plan to finish well.
The text also suggests that if the key to persistence is passion, then the key to passion is purpose. We must run with purpose, not aimlessly.
And the key to purpose? Perspective. The writer of Hebrews admonishes us to consider three things that will help us to finish well:
1. Consider them (12:1)
Since a great cloud of witnesses has gone before us, we must get serious about finishing well.
2. Consider ourselves (12:1)
It is now our turn to run the race and watch for pitfalls. We must lay aside every encumbrance that would prevent us from finishing well.
3. Consider Jesus (12:2–3)
Jesus ran His own race and endured hardship by fixing his eyes on the rewards; we must follow His example.
Drawn from an article in The Maxwell Leadership Bible.
Each year I lead a High School Senior International mission trip over spring break. I am always captured by the personal and group growth that takes place during these weeks. I am humbled by God.
This year we are going to Belize. Here is a quick video of the people and places we will encounter.
I am blessed to have met and worked with this pastor before. Pastor Mark is a man of God, full of grace, passion, and a big smile.
I encourage you to go on mission trips and engage in other experiences that remind us of the truth of scripture, that we are all equal before the cross, that God does not show partiality, that we are brothers in sisters in christ.
In a different cultural environment we get to see a new perspective, yet the same God. He is at work all around us. Let's join Him as He offers hope through Jesus Christ.
Mark 9:35 "Sitting down, Jesus called the Twelve and said, "Anyone who wants to be first must be the very last, and the servant of all."
Philippine 2:3 "Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves."
Matt 28:19-20 "Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age."
A title like "Worship is More Important than Your Small Group" is nothing more than Christian click-baiting. For this assistant pastor to make this nearsighted-misleading remark is ridiculous, meant for nothing more than shock value. It's equivalent to a blog/sermon title of "Why Men are Better than Women". The more I read it the more ridiculous it sounds.
I am a fan of Gospel Coalition, but I think "Worship is More Important than Your Small Group" missed the mark.
This blog seems to drive a wedge between two things the bible doesn't separate. Yes, we need corporate worship. I fully agree with this. But just as essential to the Christian life as corporate worship is the need for real relationships. The bible does not place a value scale on these things, they are both essential in their own way. Just because corporate worship is unique (Heading 1) does not equate it being more intrinsically valuable. I've heard a pastor in my own church say, and rightly so, "people may come because of the preaching, but they stay because of relationships."
If the author says several times throughout his blog, "But as much as you and I may love small groups…" "I love small groups. Don't misunderstand me…" I take note. If you don't want to be misunderstood, then say clearly what you mean. And here is an idea, don't title your article something you aren't trying to say.
No church is perfect, but to value corporate worship more than personal worship or real relationships, or vice versa, neglects the full counsel of God. When all the emphasis centers on one aspect of worship, you are missing the fullness of the Church the way God intended. If you only engage in small groups to the neglect of corporate worship, you are wrong. If you only engage in corporate worship to the neglect of small groups, you are wrong.
The church is community, both in its corporate setting and in its relational setting. It is the Body of Christ with multiple pieces and functions. Each piece needs to work the way it was intended, without saying this function is more important than that function. Eph 4:15-16 "Rather, speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ, from whom the whole body, joined and held together by every joint with which it is equipped, when each part is working properly, makes the body grow so that it builds itself up in love."
In this blog, Jason Helopoulos addresses four problems with corporate worship services, not four legitimate reasons why worship is "more important" than small groups. His title is misleading and of an arrogant tone.
Lets look at his four "points" in support for the greater value of Corporate Worship. (please re-read the original points as I am dealing directly with their content.)
Too "pastor-centric" – This point seems to imply that God speaks only in the corporate context! God speaks in many ways, one of those being in the corporate worship setting, but there are many other ways! YES we need to listen. That happens in my private worship time, my small group time, and my corporate worship time! Since when did Job's hand over his mouth in 40:6 refer to being attentive to the public sermon of a pastor? Wasn't this a private encounter between God and Job? And to use the NT reference of Mary as choosing the best thing in Luke 10:38-42 as a support for corporate worship being more important than small groups is preposterous. The article says, "Mary was commended by the Lord because she chose what was best. She knew that when the Lord speaks, we are to listen, absorb, and delight in hearing His voice." Umm, wasn't this a small group meeting in Mary's house, of Jesus teaching to believers? Seems pretty clear that God does speak in small group setting just as easily as the corporate setting. God speaks when He wants, we need to listen. WE NEED BOTH ENVIRONMENTS!
Too Passive/ Too Boring – These points are basic Discipleship 101, not support for corporate worships being of greater value than small groups. In any setting – my personal bible study, my small group, my corporate worship experience – if I come to the table passive and bored, it is my sin problem. It is not the problem of the environment. What about the environments Helopoulos uses as examples? Is there a corporate emphasis in Romans 12:1-2? No, in fact it the pronouns are pretty personal: "present your bodies" "your spiritual act worship, "renew your mind" "that you may discern what God's will is". In Hebrew 4:12 is "our soul pierced" expressly in a corporate setting? NO, it is a general statement about the active nature of God's word in ANY setting. Was Isaiah's experience in a corporate setting in Isaiah 6? NO. Was John's experience in a corporate setting in Revelation 1? NO, he was under house arrest on an island. Are any of these references lending support to the arrogant claim that "Corporate Worship is More Important than Your Small Group"??? Give me a break, NO.
Too Impersonal – The author points to the communal prayer, singing and participation in the sacraments as aspects of real fellowship within a corporate context. Has anyone said it is not? Do vibrant small groups somehow diminish these? Fellowship happens in a variety of contexts and modes. Is one form of fellowship more valuable and one less valuable?
What about the Lord's Supper? Didn't the early church do this in homes? Wasn't it based around a real meal, aka the love feast? How are these first century house churches not more akin to our small groups of the modern age than the modern corporate worship service? Helopoulos says, "And nothing declares that louder than our partaking of the Lord's Table together in worship" – This is one piece of the puzzle, yes. But a very biblical idea is not how often you receive the elements but rather as Jesus says in John 13:35, "By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another." When Jesus had his small group in the upper room and ordained the Lord's Supper, he did so with acts of service within intimate relationships. How well does that characterize our corporate worship services today?
I'm not calling any church out, but I am calling for a holistic well-rounded view of the Christian life, one in which the corporate worship experience is just as vital to the growing Christian as the intimate relationships within small groups.
Here comes the big bait and switch. The main point of the title is directly changed in his closing paragraph. Helopoulos says, "I love small groups. Don't misunderstand me. They serve a real purpose in most churches, but their importance cannot and does not supersede our gathering together in corporate worship." So all of a sudden this article is about small groups superseding corporate worship? It sure seems that the title and opening lines say clearly this article is about how the importance of corporate worship supersedes small groups.
The title is not even really discussed in this article. As a whole it represents a shortsighted view to its readers about what the Body of Christ look like in a modern American, context. To pit the two environments against each other is not healthy, as both are integral to Christian development. Why this author feels the need to make such superficial claims is probably an extreme reaction to an equally extreme position, namely "my small group is more important than your worship service". In trying combat the error he errors in the same manner. I believe he is does a disservice to a generation that is seeking Truth in the context of authentic community.
My prayer is the Church would see the need for both sides of the coin; engaged corporate worship and intimate Christian relationships. One is not "more important", both are essential.
*** side note: I am sure Jason Helopoulos is a great guy and if we were able to hang out we would have tons in common. My blog is addressing the ideas (both stated and implied) within his content. Grace and peace to you Jason and may your ministry be fruitful.***
Discipleship is the key to the Christian life. One of the best "disciplers" I know and look up to is my friend and co-worker, Duane Geib. He has an undeniable passion for connecting people to Jesus, for the long haul, not just for a moment. If you are looking for a good blog that will challenge you to take that next step in your faith, and probably a few laughs along the way, check out Let's Do Coffee.

subset: commoncrawl


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Pfizer Inc. Goes After Inflammatory Diseases
The drug maker believes the transaction would not impact its current year adjusted financial outlook. Those who were following the firm closely were expecting this to happen anytime soon. Hints were already dropped when the firm had taken part in the Sanford C Bernstein Strategic Decisions Conference earlier this month. At that time, analyst Tim Anderson talked with Ian Read, CEO and Chairman of Pfizer. Ian had expressed confidence in Anacor being a good deal. He said that the price is good and fair to both the seller and the buyer. He expressed optimism about the potential that this deal has.
Amgen is another good target which can add value to Pfizer. The latter is currently considering acting on its plans to reorganize. The drugmaker announced that it would be restructuring itself to focus entirely on some of the key growth businesses, while trimming some of the units.
Should Pfizer Buy Amgen?
Last year, Pfizer signed a $160 bn deal to acquire Allergan. The inversion deal was blocked by the US Treasury Department, which announced reforms making it nearly impossible for US companies to invert successfully. However, the firm maintained that inverting wasn't the motive for the pursuit for Allergan. The acquisition deal was signed by Pfizer to get its hands on Allergan's high growth assets, which would boost the acquirer's growth rates. After the termination of the deal, Pfizer announced it would keep looking for high growth assets. Moreover, the firm announced that it would be evaluating its plans to split into two separate businesses.
GIP is the Pfizer Cash Cow
GIP consists of Pfizer's newer drugs. They also act as its cash cows, including Lyrica, Enbrel, Xeljanz, and Eliquis. The unit pulled in sales of as much as $3.6 bn for the first quarter this year, accounting for nearly 30% of the firm's total revenue for the period. Sales for GIP are expected to reach $14.6 bn for 2016. The analysts' consensus puts EBITDA for this year at $7.6 bn, and EPS at $0.92.
The VOC segment generated sales of $3.4 bn for the first quarter this year, accounting for nearly 29% of the total revenues. The major sales growth drivers for the unit were its best-selling vaccine franchise Prevnar and cancer drug Ibranc. Analysts are expecting the unit to reach sales of $14.7 bn in 2016. EBITDA for the unit is forecasted to reach $8.1 bn, while EPS is expected to climb to $0.95, as per estimates compiled by analysts at Jefferies. The GEP business consists of Pfizer's older and already-established products, most of which have already lost their patents. During the last quarter, GEP reported sales of $5.9 bn, accounting for 45% of total revenues. Analysts are expecting annual sales from the unit to reach $23.4 bn, and EBITDA to amount to $13.7 bn in 2016. The EPS for the unit is expected to reach $1.61 this year.
Amgen Inc. is one of the most suitable targets Pfizer could possibly consider. With revenue of nearly $22 bn, Amgen has drugs and pipeline candidates which complement all of Pfizer's segments. The biotech has older well-established drugs, including Enbrel, Neupogen, Neulasta, and Epogen, which generate a major chunk of revenue for the firm. These drugs combined pulled in sales worth more than $3 bn. However, these items, and several other key products are nearing patent expiry, and would be a perfect fit for Pfizer's GEP.
Apart from that, the firm has a bunch of cancer treatments which are relatively farther from the patent expiry dates, and still have room to grow. These include Xgeva, Prolia, Kyprolis, Vectibix, and Blincyto. The cancer drugs have been forecasted to be potential growth drivers for Amgen. If Pfizer plans to pursue Amgen, these drugs would build upon Pfizer's VOC segment. Amgen's cardiology and metabolism drugs would easily blend in with Pfizer's GIP unit. It also has a rich and robust pipeline, which would also add to Pfizer's GIP's development pipeline, strengthening its future outlook.
It may not be difficult for Pfizer to strike a deal of this scale, since it has a history of signing mega-deals. Amgen stock has fallen nearly 7% so far this year, and more than 5% in the past 12 months. The stock has mostly outperformed its biotech peers, and the iShares NASDAQ Biotechnology Index (IBB), which shed more than 23% this year. However, the stock can be expected to further strengthen, as the firm continues to put on an impressive show. This is probably a great time for Pfizer to strike a deal.


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Peter Day: You think social entrepreneurs are thinking too small, don't you? This is a new or fairly new movement which has enormous possibilities.
Tim Smit: I think it's a new movement, but I think it's also a new philosophy of business and it irritates me that we define people as being social entrepreneurs when in fact our ambition should be to make all entrepreneurial activity social. The only distinction I can see between social entrepreneurship and ordinary entrepreneurship is the ultimate disposal of the surplus of profits and of course the philosophy behind the protocols of its management. But if you had a business...that was ethically sourcing its products; that was making a light a footprint as it could; that was treating its people well; that was trying to create products of social benefit or joy; after it had achieved all those things, I don't really care what it does with its surpluses or its profits.
More on the definitions follows. He cuts through some of the language that frustrates me.
He has some interesting rules he uses:
* Say good morning to 20 people before you start work.
* Read two books a year that people who know you think are outside your interest and review them for your colleagues. (A mid-year resolution, I think!)
* Make a speech once a year about why you like your work.
* You have to prepare a meal for 40 people you like working with. (Done because major decisions are made at night; "...the influences you bring to bear on your decision are wider than more narrow confines of what you might do if you just had your work hat on.")
Let's have a dinner party!


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- 27August2015
Dean Road Bridge / R.J McLeodShay Murtagh Precast were contracted by R.J McLeod to manufacture and deliver culverts to Dean Road Bridge. R.J McLeod Ltd. (Contractors) was awarded the contract to construct the bridge in May 2014. Following which, design and manufacture of the pre-cast elements of the bridge began with the complex site works starting in August. The Dean
- Posted by Darren Morgan Posted on 27 Aug 2015 0 Comments Read More
- 18August2015
Templars Way Overbridge / Network Rail J Murphy & SonsTemplars Way Rail Overbridge was reconstructed as part of a major Network Rail scheme to electrify the Midlands Mainline between Bedford and Sheffield. The new superstructure consisted of two 8.0m span Con-Arches designed and detailed to the Network Rails Con-Arch specification. Shay Murtagh Precast were awarded the contract by J Murphy & Sons to
- Posted by Gillian Murtagh Posted on 18 Aug 2015 0 Comments Read More
- 11August2015
Reconstruction Of Road Bridge – Harcombe Hill, WinterbourneAs part of the Great Western Route Modernisation Programme to transform the main line from London Paddington to Swansea, Harcombe Hill road bridge needed to be reconstructed to accommodate the new trains and electrification structure.
- Posted by Gillian Murtagh Posted on 11 Aug 2015 0 Comments Read More
- 05August2015
Bridge Upgrade for Story Contracting/Network RailShay Murtagh Precast were contracted by Story Contracting to complete the precast concrete works for the upgrade of the bridge adjacent to Boatside Inn in Hexham for Network Rail.
- Posted by Gillian Murtagh Posted on 05 Aug 2015 0 Comments Read More


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When you live in the Greater Toronto Area you have a lot of options when it comes to choosing a place to buy your next home. Do you want to sacrifice floor space for convenience and live in downtown Toronto or do you want to get the most home for your money in exchange for a longer drive to work? If the second option sounds more like you, Danforth, Ontario is one of the many towns you should consider looking into. You can learn more about Danforth and the houses you might find for sale there in this article.
Recent Posts
Real Canadian Agents
ContactYour Home Today Realty Inc., Brokerage
75 Guelph Street
Georgetown, ON, L7G 3Z8
(905) 877-9001


text:
For Release: Monday, March 6, 2017
DEC Statewide Forest Ranger Highlights
Forest Ranger Actions for 2/26 - 3/5/17
New York State Department of Environmental Conservation Forest Rangers respond to search and rescue incidents statewide. Working with other state agencies, local emergency response organizations, and volunteer search and rescue groups, Forest Rangers locate and extract lost, injured, or distressed people from the backcountry.
In 2016, DEC Forest Rangers conducted 356 search and rescue missions, extinguished 185 wildfires that burned a total of 4,191 acres, and worked on cases that resulted in nearly 3,000 tickets or arrests.
"Across New York, DEC Forest Rangers are on the front lines helping people safely enjoy the great outdoors," said DEC Commissioner Basil Seggos. "Their knowledge of first aid, land navigation, and technical rescue techniques are critical to the success of their missions that take them from remote wilderness areas, with rugged mountainous peaks to white-water rivers, and throughout our vast forested areas statewide."
Recent missions carried out by DEC Forest Rangers include:
Town of Coxsackie
Greene County
Recovery: On Feb. 26 at 6:33 p.m., Lt. Kevin Beiter was alerted that a human skull was found in the Vosburgh Swamp Wildlife Management Area in Coxsackie, just off of Four Mile Point Road. The skull was located by a hiker looking for arrowheads on state land, and was partially buried in a wooded area. A plan was made to assemble the next morning at 7 a.m. with a forensic team to look for additional evidence. On Monday, 12 State Troopers, two State Police K-9 units, four Greene County Sheriff Deputies, five DEC Environmental Conservation Officers, and two Forest Rangers grid searched the area around the location of the skull to look for additional bones and/or evidence related to the skull. The skull was not fully intact and had signs of extensive exposure to the elements. By 3:41 p.m., the search concluded. An assortment of items were collected to be forensically tested, including pieces of clothing that accumulated in the tidal area around the skull. A photo of the skull was sent to an anthropologist, who believes the skull belongs to a male between the ages of 10 to 13. More definitive testing of the skull will provide an accurate estimate of its age.
Town of Keene
Essex County
Search: On Feb. 28 at 4:30 p.m., DEC Ray Brook Dispatch was contacted requesting assistance for a 49-year-old male with an ankle injury on Dial Mt. who fell into a spruce trap. Three Forest Rangers responded, accessing the trail via the Adirondack Mountain Reserve (AMR) in Keene. Rangers reached the hiker by 7:40 p.m. and splinted his ankle. The hiker was able to continue the hike out with assistance from Forest Rangers and reached the trailhead at 10:40 p.m. The hiker transported himself to the Adirondack Medical Center in Saranac Lake for follow-up treatment.
Town of Poestenkill
Rensselaer County
Recovery: On Feb. 25, a white male subject was free climbing the rock wall just below the cookie factory at the Poestenkill Creek when a bystander in the area witnessed the climber fall into the creek. He never surfaced. The water flow was high and turbulent due to the warm weather and snow melt. The bystander called 911 and local fire and police department personnel responded to the scene. The turbulent water conditions limited the scope of search operations until March 1, when Troy Fire Department personnel surveyed the shoreline and first responders used underwater cameras. There were no findings. Forest Rangers were requested to assist in a swift water search and recovery effort lead by the New York State Police and Troy Fire Department. On March 2 and 3, Rangers set up the swift water raft utilizing a technical rope system to allow State Police divers and an underwater camera to check two large pools immediately below the falls, where the subject had fallen. Five Rangers with the Troy Fire Department walked the creek from the second pool to the Hudson River and found nothing. A New York State Police helicopter did a fly-over to search the Poestenkill Creek and the Hudson River. State Police also used their boat with sonar to check the Hudson River. Forest Ranger involvement was suspended on March 3.
Scenes of search and rescue near Poestenkill Creek.
Town of Keene
Essex County
Search: On March 1 at 6:37 p.m., DEC Ray Brook Dispatch received a direct call from a mother who said her daughter went for a walk and got lost in the woods off Beede Road in Keene Valley. Two Forest Rangers responded, one starting from the front of Levi Lamb Road and the other from the end of the road. Through the use of coordinates provided by Essex County 911, Forest Rangers were able to establish voice contact with the 15-year-old girl. She was located in good health and assisted out of the woods. She was then escorted back to her home by Forest Rangers. The incident concluded around 9:25 p.m.
Town of Chateaugay
Franklin County
Recovery: On March 2 at 8:26 a.m., DEC Ray Brook Dispatch received a call from the New York State Police requesting assistance with a female who was seen jumping off the bridge on Route 11 into the Chateugay River in Chateugay. Other agencies coordinating with the recovery included the Franklin County Technical Rescue Team and Chateaugay and Burke fire departments. The agencies worked together to locate and remove the subject from a log strainer on the river. The Franklin County coroner pronounced the subject deceased, and all units were back in service around 12:51 p.m.
Town of Lloyd
Ulster County
Wildland Fire: On March 2, Forest Ranger Kevin Slade responded to a 0.8-acre wildland fire on Illlinois Mountain that was the result of an escaped debris burn. The area burned consisted of hardwood litter.
Town of Amity
Allegany County
DWI and Heroin Arrest: On March 3 around 9:30 p.m., Forest Ranger Justin Thaine rendered aid to an individual with a vehicle stuck in a ditch. Shortly after clearing the motorist, Ranger Thaine encountered a vehicle partially obstructing the roadway on State Rt. 19, with the operator asleep at the wheel. Ranger Thaine engaged the subject, who appeared intoxicated and requested assistance. Upon arrival of the New York State Police, a search of the subject's vehicle was conducted and yielded 10 bags of heroin. The subject was turned over to State Police custody, with Ranger Thaine assisting with the subsequent arrest process at the Amity State Police barracks.
Town of Wilmington
Essex County
Rescue: On March 4 at 10:46 a.m., Ray Brook Dispatch received a request for assistance from Essex County 911 for a 26-year-old male from St. Huebert's, Quebec, who, while descending Whiteface Mountain, lost his footing, slid off the trail, went through the woods about 30 feet, then fell off a 25-foot vertical cliff to the Whiteface Highway below. The subject required medical assistance for serious injuries. Rangers arrived at a staging area on the Whiteface Highway at 11:45 a.m. Snowmobiles were taken up the highway to the injured subject along with Wilmington EMS. The subject was reached at 12:08 p.m. After a medical evaluation, he was packaged and brought down the Whiteface Highway at 12:36 p.m. Wilmington Ambulance transported the subject to a landing zone, where he was loaded into a Medivac Helicopter and flown to Fletcher Allen Hospital in Burlington, Vermont. The incident concluded at 1:35 p.m.
Town of Keene
Essex County
Search: On March 5 at around 10:15 p.m., the girlfriend of a hiker called DEC dispatch concerned that her boyfriend was overdue from a solo hike up Mount Colden's Trap Dike after not hearing from him at the planned arrival time of 4:30 p.m. The 62-year-old experienced hiker was well equipped for the night, but did not carry a cell phone. His spot locator was not working properly. At 10:30 p.m., Forest Ranger Scott VanLaer and Lake Colden caretaker Katie Tyler began searching trails and trailheads in the area. Ranger VanLaer met up with the hiker at the trailhead around midnight. He had found his own way out of the woods and was uninjured.
Town of White Creek
Washington County
Wildland Fire: On March 5, Forest Ranger Mike Bodnar responded to a half-acre wildland fire on private property. The burned area consisted of grass fuel that had been the result of debris burning.
Forest Rangers would like to alert the public that conditions exist for wildland fires this week. March, April, and May are often the months of highest wildlfire occurrences, and the annual brush fire burn ban will being March 16 and run through May 14. The burning of leaves, grass, and garbage is prohibited at all times throughout the State during this period.
Be sure to properly prepare and plan before entering the backcountry. Visit DEC's Hiking Safety web page and Adirondack Backcountry Information web page for more information.


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On Saturday local activists were out in Doncaster town centre to 'unwelcome' UKIP who were holding their national conference at the racecourse. Activists handed out leaflets titled 'A Day At The Racists' and held a rally outside the town hall.
The nearly 4 million votes UKIP received during May's general election demonstrates how essential it is to continue to challenge the party as they attempt to foster divisions between communities and normalise racism and bigotry.
Although UKIP present themselves as being 'anti-establishment' the voting record of of their only MP Douglass Carswell says otherwise. He has voted with the Tories on cuts to tax credits and the housing benefit cap that will leave millions in poverty.


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The Wild Panda Slot is a popular online video slot powered by Aristocrat Gaming. The game has Chinese/oriental theme with a focus on the majestic Panda bear. The backdrop to the slot is a view of a dense bamboo forest bathed in a pale red light. The reels themselves hang suspended in the centre of the screen with a cream background. The reels house an eclectic mix of oriental images with crisp graphics and smooth animation. The oriental music is soothing with the classic Aristocrat sound effects when a winning combination is achieved.
5 Reels with 100 Paylines
The Wild Panda slot has a total of 5 spinning reels and 100 paylines. Before each spin, players can set the number of paylines as well as the number of coins bet per line. The game also includes a full set of bonus features in the form of a Wild symbol, Scatter symbols and a free spin bonus round. On the reels, the highest paying symbols are all types of oriental images. The highest paying non-bonus symbol is the Chinese pagoda. This followed by the golden Chinese medallion which also plays the role of the scatter symbol. Next in line is the golden Koi fish followed by the umbrella and bamboo plant. Capping off the high paying symbols is the Chinese Ruan instrument and the lotus flower.
The Panda Wild Symbol
The lower paying symbols in the Wild Panda Slot include the standard playing card symbols from nine to king. The Scatter symbol is the golden medallion. This is the only symbol that can pay out in any position on the reels in both the base game and the free spins round. The Wild symbol in this game is the Panda bear. This symbol can be used to substitute for any of the other game symbols in order to form a winning combination. The only symbol that Wild cannot substitute for is the scatter symbol. The Panda Wild symbol also has the honour of being the highest paying symbol of the game. Finding all five across the reels will trigger the slot jackpot payout of 2000 coins on a standard coin bet.
Free Spins and AutoPlay Feature
In addition to the standard set of symbols, the Wild Panda Slot also includes the letters P.A.N.D.A. These appear in order on the five reels to make up the complete world. If players manage to land the complete word on screen during the base game, this will trigger the free spins bonus round. Making up the word Panda will reward players with 5 free spins. This may not sound like a lot but all the letters that made up the word Panda will turn into Wild symbols. This effectively adds another Five wild symbols to the reels making it much easier to form a winning combination.
In addition to the standard online slots setup and the bonus features, the Wild Panda slot also includes a few game features that will appeal to seasoned slot enthusiast. After any spin, players can change the number of paylines played as well as the totes betting range. The game also offers an autospin feature where players can set the game to automatically play a specific number of spins before stopping.


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Read this now! – A guide to writing engaging content in 5 steps
Krista Sylvester - Writer
Some call it an art, some call it a science – and you know what, it's a bit of both.
There's no magic bullet to writing engaging content but there are definitely ways to spruce up your copy that makes people want to read it.
People today are inundated with content; content in their emails, content on their social media feeds, content in advertising, content on their phones – content, content, content. But are they reading it? It's important for your brand to create compelling content that inspires people to read it and if you do it right, they won't only read it but they will share it, too.
There are dozens of tips out there that provide useful tools to writing engaging material but there are five that should be at the top of your list when it comes to your content.
It all starts with the headline – Sure, a good headline might catch their attention but a great headline will keep it. According to the copywriting website copyblogger, 80 per cent of people will only read a headline before moving on. That means only 20 per cent of people will give the rest of the content a chance. The headline should be concise and provide insight into your story. Sometimes it's useful to provide urgency. For example, something intriguing like "This New Advertising Secret Is Changing The Game" makes people want to know what the secret is and how it can help them. Audiences welcome useful information that will provide them with a positive outcome and you should be the one to deliver it.
Tell a story – Storytelling is a useful way of connecting with your audience while engaging with them on an emotional level. It creates the compelling "what next" factor that resonates with an audience. Telling a story about how you started your business and how it grew to become successful or telling a story about a specific employee helps your clients connect with you on another level that humanizes your business. Whether you weave your storytelling into the fabric of the content or start with an anecdotal story, you will connect with your readers on a deeper level and keep their interest.
Use visuals – This is the icing on the cake! Whenever you can, it's encouraged to use visuals including pictures, stock images, graphs, charts and more. Not only do visuals break up the content and make it easier to read, but it helps the audience visualize the information. According to HubSpot, when people hear information, they usually only remember 10 per cent of that information three days later. However, they add, "if a relevant image is paired with that same information, people retained 65 per cent of the information three days later." That's a stark contrast and one worth striving for.
Break up your paragraphs – Much like the above, it's important to break up the copy into different sections so it doesn't look too dense. Write in short paragraphs, add numbered lists, use sub headlines and don't be afraid to break some rules. Italics, underlines,
strikethroughs and bold print don't hurt either and provides a nice visual for the audience. Break up your paragraphs and give them a breather!
Provide value – If you can provide a service, useful tips or information to your clients' without trying to sell them on anything, you'll earn their trust. It starts with knowing who your audience is and what makes them tick. What do they care about? What problems can your content help solve? What will your audience share with their peers? You don't want to create boring, unoriginal content that doesn't provide value. For example, if you are a homebuilding company, you could create story topics that revolve around things people often want to learn more and that can range anywhere from home renovations to mortgage tips to what to look for in a new home.
Trying to incorporate these five steps into your content strategy can make an immediate impact. Start practising by writing witty headlines that don't start with "the" or "a" and go from there. Once you go from "good" to "great" content, you'll know it because people will share your content, and then share it some more.


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Published by: Smirk & Dagger Games
# of Players: 6 to 12 Players
Dead Last brings a new take on player elimination type games like Mafia. The goal in Dead Last is to be the first 25 gold. Each round 4 gold cards will be placed face down in the middle of the table. Each gold card has a value of 3 to 5. Each player will have color cards representing the other players and an ambush card. During a round players will be deciding who to eliminate from the round. Players can use any means to try to communicate to other players to help pick a target. You may quickly show the color of the person you want eliminated or point under the table. Some will text others or bring up a reference to hint at color to eliminate. Once everyone has put down a card with their target, they will all be revealed at the same time and person with the most cards is eliminated.
If you think that is it, you are sadly mistaken. Anyone who did not vote with the majority is also eliminated. If the person who was picked to be eliminated played the ambush card, that person will pick one of the people who voted for him to be eliminated instead. If there is a tie vote, both players are eliminated. If it gets down to 2 people, a final showdown will happen. Each player will receive 3 cards (Share, Steal, Grab one & Go). If both players choose to share, each will get 2 gold cards. If both players select steal, all other players get a gold card. If both pick Grab and Go, they will each get one card. If share and steal are played, the steal player will get all 4 cards, and if a steal is played with grab and go, the steal person gets 3 and grab person gets 1. Finally if grab and go is played with a share, the share person gets 3 and grab person gets 1. You may communicate to the other player about what card to play, but do you trust them? After the round you will refresh the gold row and everyone will be back in the game to start a new round. After a round, if a player has 25 or more gold, they win the game.
I am usually very iffy on player elimination games that have players vote people out of the game. Dead Last is the exception. I really had a blast trying to hint to my friends on who to take out and all the trash talk that came with it. People had a good time trying to hint to other players and the crazy ways people tried to express who they voted for. Some would not vote for their significant other, while others stabbed them in the back fast. Each player has a standee that shows their color and has a Pulp Fiction type look to it. The game is very solid and does not take long to play. This is a game that you always want to vote with the popular kids. I would recommend this game to anyone who enjoys social games. If you are a person who doesn't like being eliminated from games or rely on reading people, this may not be for you. I will be keeping this in my collection as my social game.
+ Social collusion that allows any form of hinting
+Each round plays quick so no one is out for long
+ Easy to teach to other players
- Not for those who do not like social games
- Can get confusing on who gets eliminated when ties and ambushes are played at same time


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from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.
- noun Education of children that follows
primary educationand leads to either employmentor college/ universityeducation
from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.
- noun education beyond the elementary grades; provided by a high school or college preparatory school
Sorry, no etymologies found.
Sorry, no example sentences found.


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Infinite Descent Dive Shop ReStocks Red Rum for Fall
Infinite Descent Dive Shop ReStocks Red Rum for Fall
BY: Daniel Del Sol
St. Pete Beach's only Full-Service Dive Shop offering SCUBA certifications, dive and spearfishing charters, air-refills, tank "rolling" and more has just re-stocked their apparel selection including their Red Rum International Performance Gear. Re stocked items include Red Rum's famous Digital Camo Performance Shirts and Ruler Sleeve Lobster Shirts. Infinite Descent Dive Shop located conveniently on Madeira Beach is a new style of dive shop that offers up something traditional dive shops don't. Their fun and friendly personnel are always more than willing to serve you and offer some advice. Be sure to stop by the shop and check them out!


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Visit the Energy Systems Laboratory Homepage.
Successful Application of Heat Pumps to a DHC System in the Tokyo Bay Area
MetadataShow full item record
The Harumi-Island District Heating & Cooling (DHC), which is located in the Tokyo Bay area, introduced the heat pump and thermal storage system with the aim of achieving minimum energy consumption, minimum environmental load, and maximum economical efficiency. It started operating in 2001, achieving high efficiency and a large amount of reduction of greenhouse gas emission, as well as low heat-charge. The system performance was verified by the continued commissioning of the system.
Subjectdistrict heating and cooling
heat pumps
thermal storage system
large difference of temperature for cold and hot water
Yanagihara, R.; Okagaki, A. (2006). Successful Application of Heat Pumps to a DHC System in the Tokyo Bay Area. Energy Systems Laboratory (http://esl.tamu.edu); Texas A&M University (http://www.tamu.edu). Available electronically from http : / /hdl .handle .net /1969 .1 /5464.


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Philippines: Sustaining livelihoods of farmers in Negros
Most Filipino farmers consider carabaos (water buffalos) as faithful partners in life. In remote communities in which conventional farming is commonly practiced, farmers mainly rely on a carabao's hard work and patience to get the job done.
Delilah is a 3-year-old female carabao who has been helping Joelito plough his farm for more than a year now. "When the Red Cross gave us Delilah, I was very thankful. I never thought I could own a carabao as I could not afford to buy one with my limited income", recalls Joelito, a 53 years old rice farmer.
In 2014, to help improve the livelihoods of farmers and boost production in Nabulao and Camindangan – small farming villages in Sipalay City, in the south of Negros Occidental – the ICRC provided farm inputs such as carabaos, hand tools, vegetable seeds, farm machines, as well as trainings. In these areas, beside difficult living conditions, communities also have to deal with the effects of sporadic armed violence.
For Joelito's rain-fed type of farming, catching up with the rainy season is highly critical. For small farmers like him, even renting a carabao is a rather expensive waiting game. And the unavailability of a carabao can delay planting and result in low production. "Timing is the key," he explains.
With Delilah, Joelito has been able to plant on time, while the money that has been saved goes to other essential needs. "I can start saving money for the education of our children. I am hopeful that I can send at least one of my children to college."
Delilah also helps Joelito to expand and utilize the hilly portion of the land not suitable for rice farming as a vegetable garden. "My family grows peanuts and mung beans while waiting for the harvest season," explains Joelito. "The vegetable garden provides us with an additional source of income to support the needs of our five children, considering that three of them are enrolled in school."
As part of the strategy to sustain their livelihoods, farmers have agreed to share newly bred carabaos. Joelito will allow Delilah to breed after the next planting season (when she will be less needed).
Story by Von Gustilo, ICRC field officer


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Shopping at The Farm Girl allows you to not only find something beautiful for your home, but also to support your community. We sell all kinds of goods from local businesses and artists, including a wide selection of gift items. This way, you know your money is supporting the people of Buhl instead of some big-box company.
Call 208-543-4445 today to learn more about our selection of local items. An associate from The Farm Girl will be there to answer your questions.
The Farm Girl is always stocked with artisanal goods from the Buhl community. Visit today to find:


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Morrissey Reveals His Favourite LPs Of All Time
The Quietus
, August 13th, 2010 10:04
For Friday 13th, Morrissey has scanned in the sleeves of his favourite 13 albums, emailed them to us, and requested that we put them online. Here are the results:
It's all too easy to forget that, as well as being one of the most enigmatic figures in English music of the past three decades, Steven Patrick Morrissey is at heart a music fan like you and I. Behind the wonderfully worded barbs in the music press and that singular sound and aesthetic that he's carved out for himself over the years, there lies a hungry pair of ears. One hardly need recount all the evidence for this: the youthful letters to the music press, the cover of Suede's 'My Insatiable One' in the early 90s, his occasional presence in the crowd of tiny backroom gigs. But sometimes it's nice to know the specifics, so, to celebrate the announcement of the reissue of Bona Drag and 'Everyday Is Like Sunday' this autumn, we've the definitive list of Morrissey's favourite 13 albums, with sleeves scanned by The Man Himself. For some, Quietus writers have contributed thoughts on what the connections are between these favourites and Morrissey's own work, while others feature quotes from the singer. For comprehensive details of the reissues please visit the wonderful True To You Morrissey site. Thanks to them and Scott Steele for their assistance for this feature. Click the image of the great man (below) to begin the countdown:
If you love our features, news and reviews, please support what we do with a one-off or regular donation. Year-on-year, our corporate advertising is down by around 90% - a figure that threatens to sink The Quietus. Hit this link to find out more and keep on Black Sky Thinking.


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Recent economic data has shocked economists so it shouldn't be unexpected that investors are much divided on where to put their money. The American Association of Individual Investors weekly survey shows almost an equal split among bulls, bears and neutral. Uncertainty has even spilled over to normally bullish Wall Street analysts. According to Merrill Lynch, only 49.3% of analysts are currently bullish, the lowest reading since 1998. Sentiment surveys like this have often been good contrarian indicators.
People are cautious about the market because of some of the wild moves that have occurred in the recent past. But pronounced market swings have been part of the stock investor's experience for a long time. Since 1928, the S&P 500 has had an average intra-year decline of 13.5% from peak to trough. Last year, stocks were down about 20% for the year in August but rallied to breakeven by yearend. The key to an investor's success is to anticipate these inexplicable and regular selloffs and use them as opportunities to put cash to work. Every market decline has always been followed by an upturn.
Richard G. Leader, CFA


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Vata Tote Black
or make 4 interest-‐free payments of $71.50 fortnightly with More info
The oversized tote is a perfect choice for the go-getter women. It is big enough to fit all your daily essentials, and yet stylish enough for all occasions. Vata Tote is constructed with a durable handwoven fabric (dhurrie) and high-quality brown leather. The inside of the bag has smooth canvas lining with a zipped pocket on the side and open pockets for the phone. There are also cotton strings that can be tied together to make the tote compact when needed.
Vata word comes from the Hindu Vata-vriksh meaning the Banyan Tree. In India, Banyan is sacred tree that symbolizes something which is strong, standing firm on the ground with all the virtues and virility. The gold Zari work on our bags were inspired by the leaves and the branches of the tree.
Inspired by the 'land of gods', Kannbar represents India's colorful concoction of culture, royalty and history. It is a perfect example what can transpire when traditional art meets contemporary fashion and how it creates luxurious products.
Kannbar bags are hand stitched from the traditional fabric, taking skilled artisans nearly thirty days of painstaking craftsmanship. Then they are bound with high quality genuine leather to perfection.
Kannbar is not just a fashion. It is bespoke individuality that you can hold in your hands.
Christmas & New Years
Our partners have unique shipping time frames for the festive season so to help you make sure you receive your order in time, we suggest the following:
Domestic (Aus) 5th December
International 30th November
Feel free to place orders after these dates, we just can't guarantee you will get your product before Santa comes to visit.
Kannbar products ship from India.
For Shipping within India, it can take 1-2 weeks to arrive depending on what shipping option you choose.
For International Shipping, it can take 3-4 weeks to arrive depending on what shipping option you choose.
To find out more about Shipping, Click Here.
If you would like to know more about our Returns Policy, Click Here.
If you have any queries, you can reach us at email@example.com.