“A well-designed lighting system elevates the overall ambiance in a room without distracting from the furniture or art that has been so carefully selected. In fact, the right lighting can dramatically enhance any piece of art without distracting from its core beauty. When lighting artwork, consider Phantom’s contour optical framing projector. This powerful LED focused light source is the perfect mood lighting solution for any decor. With multiple masking methods available, the light can be shaped to perfectly fit the contour of any piece of art without any spillage onto the walls behind it.”

“The color temperature of light evokes different feelings within visitors to a room – the warmer the light, the more cozy and relaxing the room becomes, while a cooler light inspires energy and productivity. Both the Elite and Ultra cabinet lighting systems are designed to emit soft illumination that is ideal for aesthetic purposes, and both can be configured to produce nearly any color and spread pattern a homeowner may need. People are accustomed to the warm, cozy hues of incandescent fixtures, but LEDs can also provide warm illumination, and do it with much more efficiency and reliability. In commercial settings, a business may want the sophisticated and clean feeling that comes with neutral white fixtures, and LED strips can also be configured in this way.

Brightness is the other factor involved when setting the mood in a room. Dimmer controls allow a user to raise or lower the output level of the system with little effort. If a homeowner wants to enhance a comfortable, cozy feeling, they can drop the system’s output level. Conversely, if a company wants to deliver a strong impression, it can pump up the illumination output. All of Phantom’s products come with the option of dimmer controls so that the mood of your space can change with your own.”

“One of the easiest ways to make a major visual upgrade to a kitchen is with under-cabinet lighting. This technology is perfect for filling in those dark spots in the kitchen with bright, warm illumination, and it can greatly improve the room’s look and feel with no construction necessary. But kitchens are only one application, as the fixtures can also be useful in work spaces, pantries and commercial settings. No matter where the technology is placed, it will improve the room’s form and function without requiring constant maintenance.”

“Outside of the kitchen, there are still plenty of applications where Phantom’s under-cabinet lighting can bring about major improvement. Home offices, garages, and other work spaces are some examples of great places to have additional lighting in a residential setting. Larger homes that have features such as cocktail bars, wine cellars, butlers’ pantries, or walk-in closets offer even more opportunities to improve both function and form with the right lighting. In a business, like a doctor’s or attorney’s personal office, under-cabinet lighting not only adds to the function of a built-in desk, but also elevates the overall ambiance and adds an extra element of professionalism to the experience.”

“If you have a cat or a small dog, you’ll want to get a bench or a stool to elevate your pet within the frame of the photo. You can use any bench or stool, but my favorites are a simple wooden bench or a faux fur stool. Both of these items are available at several different price points in several different stores, but the exact two I use are listed above. If you have a dark-colored pet, choose a white or light colored fur stool and black or dark color if you have a white or light-colored pet. Keep in mind that the bench needs to be both light enough for you to carry around, but large and sturdy enough for your pet to feel comfortable sitting on it.”

“We’ve all been there – squatting on the ground making kissy noises and clicky sounds, clapping our hands, jingling our keys – making a fool of ourselves trying to get our pet to look at the camera. Getting your pet to pay attention for a good photo can be tricky, especially when you’re in public around people and other animals! Some dogs have shorter attention spans than others and that’s fine, but well-trained dogs who respond to their owner’s voice will obviously photograph best. You can hold a treat over the lens or use a treat clip like the one pictured to below if you need both hands free!”

“Photo composition is something that can really help your photos stand out among the thousands of others on social media. You’re welcome to research the topic on your own, but it basically refers to the relationship between the subject, the middle ground, and the background of the photo. Keeping a variety of compositional arrangements on your feed helps keep things interesting for your followers – many social media users get bored when accounts post too many photos that look more or less the same, unless of course they have an intentional theme or pattern and that is the intended effect!”

“Pad-training Penny was one of the best decisions I ever made! It has made traveling with her so much easier than I could have imagined! However, pad-training is definitely not a good option for every dog, especially not for very large dogs or males that lift their leg. A lot of trainers actually disapprove of pad-training because it can be extremely difficult for many dogs to learn – this is one of those things that you shouldn’t try without truly knowing your dog. As with most training behaviors, the younger the dog is, the easier it will be to train – this doesn’t mean you can’t pad-train an older dog, just that it will most likely take a lot more patience! I always like to remind you guys that I am not a trained or certified dog trainer, this is just the information that I’ve learned through my own research and practice, plus the steps I took to successfully pad-train Penny.”

“Training a dog who already has an established potty routine to use a pad is difficult, but not impossible! However, it’s not something I have done myself, since I trained Penny as a true puppy. Here’s what I would suggest: first, observe your dog for a while and try to make a schedule of their bathroom habits. Once you know what parts of the day or after which activities they usually do their business, buy a brand of potty pads that have a pheromone attractant smell, which helps encourage dogs to mark their scent. Put a pad very close to the door that they’re accustomed to using when they go out to the bathroom. If this applies to multiple doors, put a pad near each door. If you can, try to carry or guide your pet to the potty pad when you think it might be time for them to pee. Otherwise, it’s just up to you to keep a close eye on your pet so that you can praise them if and when they use the potty pad correctly. Please be cautious that many professional dog trainers will advise against pad-training because it’s so difficult and time-consuming to teach.”