Presidents:
What is the most common first name for a President, what is it, how many are there, what are their full names? No cheating, thank you! Come up with a REAL answer in your own head before checking!
The answer is posted as a comment.
I figure, if I can bring a little enjoyment or vexation to another's life with my useless information, it isn't really useless to me, is it?
Friday, March 26, 2010
Tuesday, March 23, 2010
Shop Makeover
Insanity: doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results.
~ Albert Einstein
If I don't want to be termed insane, and I want more sales than I am currently getting, I should start doing something different, right? I decided my "something different" would be a shop "makeover", starting with a new camera and picture angles, moving on to new titles and offering free shipping. Then I decided I needed a new doll. I had been thinking about it for a while, but came to a decision about it when one of my customers commented on how ugly my doll was, and how that had previously turned her off from my dresses. So I bought an American Girl doll, and backdrop.
American Girl items are scandalously overpriced.
I'm working on the pictures of my books, and am trying to get some new tooling designs, too; we'll see how that comes out.
I have also been trying to come up with a little more variation for my dresses, as they tend to get a bit boring after a while. I liked the way this one came out, though I think the over-sleeve needs a little tweaking; it's not quite big enough. I also started listing my dresses on Ebay again, and seem to be having better luck now than I did a year ago. As of Saturday, I was 7 (sales) for 11 (listings).
Most of my customers on Ebay have been people that own children's boutiques, or something, I think. I'm not sure yet what I think about my dresses being re-sold, but for now I'm just enjoying the extra sales.
~ Albert Einstein
If I don't want to be termed insane, and I want more sales than I am currently getting, I should start doing something different, right? I decided my "something different" would be a shop "makeover", starting with a new camera and picture angles, moving on to new titles and offering free shipping. Then I decided I needed a new doll. I had been thinking about it for a while, but came to a decision about it when one of my customers commented on how ugly my doll was, and how that had previously turned her off from my dresses. So I bought an American Girl doll, and backdrop.
American Girl items are scandalously overpriced.
I'm working on the pictures of my books, and am trying to get some new tooling designs, too; we'll see how that comes out.
I have also been trying to come up with a little more variation for my dresses, as they tend to get a bit boring after a while. I liked the way this one came out, though I think the over-sleeve needs a little tweaking; it's not quite big enough. I also started listing my dresses on Ebay again, and seem to be having better luck now than I did a year ago. As of Saturday, I was 7 (sales) for 11 (listings).
Most of my customers on Ebay have been people that own children's boutiques, or something, I think. I'm not sure yet what I think about my dresses being re-sold, but for now I'm just enjoying the extra sales.
So far, I've had more interest on Ebay in this dress than any other, though no bids yet. I have yet to decide whether it's owing to the dress, the doll, or the backdrop.
Wednesday, March 17, 2010
The First Flower of Spring!
I found the first flower in bloom (in our yard) of the year! It was while raking the front lawn yesterday. I promptly ripped the plant out, it being a weed and all, but it's still supposed to be good luck, right?
I also determined that rakes do not collect leaves, they just brake them up into microscopic pieces so you can't see them anymore.
I also determined that rakes do not collect leaves, they just brake them up into microscopic pieces so you can't see them anymore.
Saturday, March 6, 2010
Shopping for a Paint Stick
On Friday, Mark asked me if I wanted to go shopping with him the next morning. I said I supposed so, but where were we going? "We need paint and a paint stick." (Be it understood, here a paint stick = an extension for a paint roller, not something to mix paint with.)
As it is not unusual for me to go with him on shopping trips, I thought nothing of it. The next morning he woke me up rather earlier than I thought necessary, but I assumed he just wanted to get an early start.
The trip:
I should have expected something was up, right from turning the wrong direction at the end of the street, ("There's a bigger store in Ledgewood."), through getting off the highway one exit before Ledgewood to get gas, to continuing east for about an hour past the Ledgewood exit, but it wasn't until we were coming out of the Lincoln tunnel that it dawned on me exactly what we were doing 2 hours from home shopping for "a paint stick".
We had several weeks before been complaining what poor selections of fabric Joann's has, and that we needed to find someplace better to shop. So Mark took me to New York City, to the fabric district to get me my belated birthday present, and get some fabric to finish his own costume!
We spent several hours in and out of about 30 stores comparison shopping. After about 5 stores, we couldn't remember what any of the stores we wanted to return to were called, and after about 10, if we had even been in these stores before. We went into 1 store three times, I think.
It's very interesting shopping in privately owned stores in an area like that. There is a lot of competition, and they each had there own style of selling. In one, it was the pushy salesman type: the man followed us around with yard stick and scissors in hand; after every fabric touched, we had the same repetitious conversation: he would pull out the bolt, start measuring and say " You like? How much you want?" "No, I don't think I want that one." next bolt: "You like? How much you want?"... next aisle: "You like? How much you want?"
Then there was the"get a sale at any price" store: "That one? :$__. Too much? For you, $__. What, still to much? What about$__?"
There is also the entertainment of listening to other customers. There was one lady who was very insistent, even in broken English
"Hmm. 1 dolla!" - "No, this is $3. See the sign!" - "1 dolla!!" - "No, it's $3" - "1 dolla!!!" - "for you, $2.50" - "1 dolla!!!!"
After going through all the stores and trying to keep them straight, I thought my head was going to fall off, and only had the presence of mind to buy 2 things: chiffon fabrics. A lavender one for my regency dress, (not completely accurate, I know, but I think it'll look nice) and and a pink one. Since I wasn't sure what I would end up doing with the pink, at $0.99 /yard, 15 yards seemed like a nice round number.
We also got everything that Mark needed to finish his costume for our upcoming costume party, all at amazing prices.
Mark reminded me on the way home, that he never said we were shopping for a paint stick, he merely said we needed one!
As it is not unusual for me to go with him on shopping trips, I thought nothing of it. The next morning he woke me up rather earlier than I thought necessary, but I assumed he just wanted to get an early start.
The trip:
I should have expected something was up, right from turning the wrong direction at the end of the street, ("There's a bigger store in Ledgewood."), through getting off the highway one exit before Ledgewood to get gas, to continuing east for about an hour past the Ledgewood exit, but it wasn't until we were coming out of the Lincoln tunnel that it dawned on me exactly what we were doing 2 hours from home shopping for "a paint stick".
We had several weeks before been complaining what poor selections of fabric Joann's has, and that we needed to find someplace better to shop. So Mark took me to New York City, to the fabric district to get me my belated birthday present, and get some fabric to finish his own costume!
We spent several hours in and out of about 30 stores comparison shopping. After about 5 stores, we couldn't remember what any of the stores we wanted to return to were called, and after about 10, if we had even been in these stores before. We went into 1 store three times, I think.
It's very interesting shopping in privately owned stores in an area like that. There is a lot of competition, and they each had there own style of selling. In one, it was the pushy salesman type: the man followed us around with yard stick and scissors in hand; after every fabric touched, we had the same repetitious conversation: he would pull out the bolt, start measuring and say " You like? How much you want?" "No, I don't think I want that one." next bolt: "You like? How much you want?"... next aisle: "You like? How much you want?"
Then there was the"get a sale at any price" store: "That one? :$__. Too much? For you, $__. What, still to much? What about$__?"
There is also the entertainment of listening to other customers. There was one lady who was very insistent, even in broken English
"Hmm. 1 dolla!" - "No, this is $3. See the sign!" - "1 dolla!!" - "No, it's $3" - "1 dolla!!!" - "for you, $2.50" - "1 dolla!!!!"
After going through all the stores and trying to keep them straight, I thought my head was going to fall off, and only had the presence of mind to buy 2 things: chiffon fabrics. A lavender one for my regency dress, (not completely accurate, I know, but I think it'll look nice) and and a pink one. Since I wasn't sure what I would end up doing with the pink, at $0.99 /yard, 15 yards seemed like a nice round number.
We also got everything that Mark needed to finish his costume for our upcoming costume party, all at amazing prices.
Mark reminded me on the way home, that he never said we were shopping for a paint stick, he merely said we needed one!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
