'Fingers must just get in the way': Incredible jewellery designed and crafted by woman who was born without digits on her hands

A talented jeweller whose creations sell for thousands of pounds has told how she manages to create her intricate ornaments despite having no fingers.
Annette Gabbedey, 48, creates delicate rings, earrings and bracelets, inset with with diamonds, opals and other precious stones in her workshop in Frome, Somerset.
But the expert goldsmith, who was born without fingers, uses no special tools to help her work and says she cannot imagine how people with fingers manage to do it.

Mrs Gabbedey, who says she was always encouraged by her family to 'get out there and sort it out', studied jewellery-making at school and college before training amongst the jewellery experts of London's Hatton Garden.
She moved to Somerset 24 years ago, and now has a reputation as one of Britain's finest craftsmen and opal specialists.
She said: 'It is just your own perception of how you look at yourself, and for me I was born like it, so I have never known anything different.............continue reading and see more photos....

I STARTED LAUNDRY BUSINESS WITH BUCKET AND WASH

Having read this, i had hope that many other Nigerians living in abject poverty can still survive one way or the other......

Dry cleaning and laundry business sprang up to offer services to those who might be too busy to take care of their clothings or to relieve them of the stress involved in washing thereby paying for the service rendered by those who have found it a lucrative venture.
The business is a viable income and job generating venture which generates returns of over 100 percent on investment and involves little capital to start.
It is in light of this that some people have ventured into the business to render services to people. The business is a thriving one especially in the urban centres where most people do not have much time to do their washing by themselves.
Laundry and dry cleaning service is simply washing of clothing materials, ironing and proper packaging for people who need the services.
Mrs. Rose Kalu Awa, who operates a dry cleaning and laundry outfit in EFAB Estate, Abuja, said she has been in the business for the past five years and there is no looking back for her.
Her outfit, Sommy Wash Laundry and Dry Cleaning Services, though started with N13, 000 in 2008 now has a workshop in EFAB and a collection center in Utako. She said that she started with a small capital with which she bought a bucket, one pressing iron, detergent, starch, tablet soap and somebody gave her a table to use...continue reading!

Planning ahead for the New Year

Hip hip hurray, it’s the New Year. Three hundred and sixty-five days, five hundred and twenty-five thousand, six hundred minutes and thirty-one million, five hundred and thirty-six thousand seconds gone by just like that. It is a time to start afresh and set new goals especially financial goals. At this particular time of the year many people begin to make New Year’s resolutions, however many of these resolutions are just wishes that never become reality. Worse still many of these do not relate to personal or business finance issues. It is not enough to just say I would get out of debt in 2014 or I would give more to charity. How do you intend to make this a reality?  It is therefore not enough to just make resolutions instead it is more profitable to set goals. You may ask, what is the difference between a resolution and a goal? According to the Oxford Dictionary, resolution can be defined as “a firm decision to do or not to do something”, whilst according to the Business Dictionary “a goal is an observable and measurable end result having one or more objectives to be achieved within a more or less fixed time frame”. Essentially a goal must be SMART (Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Realistic/Relevant and Time bound). As 2014 commences, it is a time to Reflect, Refocus and Review...... continue reading