Digital Cameras : How many megapixels is too much?

Hello,
I work in a camera store and answer this question every day. The first thing you have to consider when buying a camera is what are you going to do with it? Then what are you willing to carry? Finally how much can you spend?
What are you doing with it?
Sounds like an easy question doesn't it. But "Just family pictures" doesn't really cover it. What size of prints are you going to ever possibly make? Remember this there are three important parts of yourcamera. The resolution is only a third or even a quarter of the story, what is the size of the actual sensor and what kind of lens does it have? First off there are basically two sizes of sensors in digital cameras, a 1/4 and a 2/3. these numbers are in relation to a 35mm film frame. Most "point and shoot" digitals cams have the 1/4 size sensor, these cameras the megapixel and lens are very important on. Example of these cameras would be Nikons Coolpix line, Canons Powershots and Olympus's Camedias. On these small pocket size cameras you must get a good quality lens and for that regemend staying with a brand of camera that has traditionally made still cameras, the ones I mentioned above are in my opinion the better three, but Minolta, Pentax and Leica make fine cameras as well. Again I cannot stress this enough, the lens is the MOST important part of any camera, it is the lens that actually "takes" the picture, everything else is there to "record" it.
What are you willing to carry?
Now your average digitalsingle lens reflex(DSLR) camera has the bigger 2/3 size chip in it. These cameras almost always have bigger physical lenses (which makes for better pictures too) and usually they are interchangable. The big drawback to DSLRs is they are BIG! Many people simply don't want to carry a DSLR around most of the time, if you just have to have a DSLR I suggest you get a point and shoot as well because, unless you are an avid amature or prosumer you'll get tired of ith big camera pretty quick. The upside of the DSLR is you can make bigger and better prints. In the store I work at we have a 24X36 inch print hanging shot with a 3 Megapixel point and shoot (This tells you what you can do with a $50K printer) and we have made 40X60 enlargements from a6 Megapixel DSLR!
Myself I have both types and usually if I am out goofing around or for family get togethers I use the small camera, If I am planning to make a good size enlargement (I shoot a group portrati of my wifes extended family each christmas as a gift to all) or I am working a paid assignment then I use the DSLR.
How much are you willing to spend?
Usually in photography and especially digital photography the old adage "You get what you pay for" is truth. My usual regemendation is to buy the best camera you can afford, with the best lens and resolution possible. After all younever know when that greatest shot of you life will happen, sometimes, especially in photography, it is better to be lucky than good. Of course good and lucky might win you some prizes!!

Omega Seamaster Watches

Hi Folks,
Seamasters are a line of watches from the "Omega Collections" which have been very popular over the years especially since 007 started wearing them in the famous James Bond movies.
These watches are available as a quartz (battery) or an auto(mechanical) version.There are several models and the novice would be well advised to visit the official Omega website to check out the different models.
The reason for this guide is to stress that being very careful is the key when dealing with these watches as thismodel is very often copied and sold through okay.
I would love to go into details but space would not permit however remember that there is no such thing as a bargain.Omega watches are of a high quality and a watch with all paperwork,cards and boxes will normally gemand a better price than one that doesn't.Just because it has the above items doesn't mean it is genuine.There are many fake boxes etc out there.
I would regemend joining a watch forum and posting a link or a picture of the watch you are considering as many members are very knowledgable and are only too happy to help.
Another point is to ask the seller to post a picture of the watch with a date and time nominated by yourselfon the watch's face to verify that it is the watchthat you are bidding on.(I have a friend in the US who is a well known watch photographer and I quite often see his photos used in listings.)
As I said earlier that there are many details to look at and not enough space here,exercise caution.If in doubt miss out!Omega watches are high quality and feel high quality.Check the sellers previous feedbackand look for strange goings on.High feedback may not mean salesof high ticket (priced) items.
Also check out okay's guide for payment as some offer better security than others.
Thanks for looking and enjoy your watch.

Microwave Buyers Guide

MICROWAVE OVENS PRODUCT GUIDE
gemercial Microwave Ovens:

More durably built and easier to operate
Built with heavy duty power cords, gemercial quality relays and overload switches
Can withstand heat and humidity build-up in your kitchen
Are UL and NSF approved
County health inspectors and fire insurance policies require gemercially approved microwave ovens.
Domestic Microwave Ovens:

Are built for home usenot made for abuse
County health inspectors can close down your establishment until domestic microwave ovens are removed
Fire insurance policy will not be paid if evidence of use of a domestic microwave oven is in your establishment
Domestic warranty void if used in gemercial setting.
Convection Microwave Ovens

gebining cooking technologies, when applied appropriately, will result in high quality food products, reduced cook times and reduced steps in preparation. Convection and microwave cooking have both proven themselves as stand alone technologies. However, when both are used simultaneously, the operator produces food that has a better appearance in a reduced time frame.
Advantages of Microwave Cooking

Easy to install
gepact and take up little space
Employees can be quickly trained to use them
They use less energy
The microwave is well-suited for steaming vegetables, cooking delicate seafood and heating and preparing a variety of other types of foods
Amana's RCS10MP microwave is an economical choice for everyday use in a gemercial setting.
Do microwaves cook from the inside out?A gemon misconception of microwaves is that they cook from the inside out. Microwaves actually only penetrate up to one inch into the food depending on the density of the product and at that point the water heats up, creates steam, and cooks the rest by conduction, just like a regular oven.
Do microwaves ruin food?A microwave is like any other piece of kitchen equipment; there are things it does well and things it doesn't do well. A microwave lends itself to foods that are high in moisture, like vegetables, pasta and grain items. Defrosting and reheating foods is a job well done by a microwave.
Don't microwaves emit radiation? Microwave ovens, when functioning properly, do not expose users to any microwave radiation at all.
Are microwaves only good for reheating?No. Microwaves are excellent steamers. Always cover food that is to be cooked in a microwave. For the first half of the microwave time, the microwave heats the water content in the food to the boiling point...then the steam is produced. It is this steam that cooks the food so quickly. So, when you think of microwaves, think steam.
Do foods cooked in a microwave lose their nutritional value? Cornell University has released a study on the effects of different cooking methods on the nutritional quality of different foods. They looked at vitamin C and its levels after boiling, steaming and micro waving. It was determined that up to seven times more nutrients are retained with microwave cooking than with the other methods.A microwave is just like any other piece of equipment in the kitchen; there are some foods that it cooks VERY well and some it doesn't. But when it gees to vegetables or seafood, the microwave is ingeparable. Remember to add a little liquid and cover the microwave safe pan when cooking which keeps the steam in and speeds the cooking

elvis collectibles

Everyone in the world has a piece of Elvis. Something with an image, his name, a logo-you really need skill and knowledge to tell apart what is , and what is not.You need to buy from sellers of truth,proof,and authentic certificates and so on. Items approved by EPE,Graceland or collectors who have collected and held on to their treasures for a very long time.A fan for decades and decades treasuring their items and then placing them for sale., should have authentic knowledge and proof of item,and where it originated from.Ask questions, seek information through collcetors who have exact data and much knowledge about the person and the product.Collectibles mean different things to different people. Some just want duplicate, and cute items., while others seek true, authentic Elvis.The more knowledge you have about Elvis the man himself., the more you will know truth from fiction.

buying from sellers who state no refunds {833440 seller

i bought from a seller 833440whohid behind the statement no refund look at picture and you should not have to return. with that i purchase a part and received a wrong part. item stated 69 firebird brake booster and i get a 79 brake booster. when stated the fact to seller i was told okay can do nothing about it. and i am stuck with the part. started a dispute with angry seller. then i was getting the part to be returned. seller stated i need to return part and i pay shipping both ways and refund of okay action listings. because i bought the wrong part as he stated so i should pay for everything . all in all i was very shocked at his attitude. he had a very good feedback. just be careful crafty sells tactics are easy to overlook when buying on okay and as i learned you could and probably will be stuck with what you get.

Antenna X Power Antenna Watch out!

Antenna X sells cheap imitation stuff, which may be fine if you have a normal car. In my case I knew an RX7 had special wiring and corresponded prior to buying and was assured the antenna would work. It literally melted when installed, and the guarantee... well I think they disappeared off the planet the next day. and since they shipped 28 days after the order, the paypal guarnantee was also void. Pretty smart. So if you are sure you have a positive action power antenna - one that goes up or down when you apply power, then this stuff is cheap but should be fine. If you have any special requirements as Mazda and I assume Mercedes, Jag, and any unique Marque would have, stay away even if they guarantee you that it will work. The $11 isn't worth the damage you can do to the car or your blood pressure.

BEWARE SHIPPING CHARGES

Many e-bayers are thrilled to find a great deal on something they are looking for, but... BEWARE!! Sellers often raise shipping charges to unreasonable amounts to avoid e-bay fees. Honest e-bayers are the only way to prevent this terrible injustice. When a seller lists an item for .01 it costs very little; however adding a reserve or listing for a higher price costs the seller more. Shipping charges are not included in the e-bay fees so it gives the seller an opportunity to get more for the item without paying more for the listing.
The bottom line is, if you see an unreasonable shipping charge, REPORT IT! This will allow everyone to have an enjoyable time on e-bay and punish the wrong doers.

How to Light a Christmas Tree

Lighting a Christmas tree is the most important step of trimming a tree. Many of us find it a nuisance, at best, but I've developed a process that makes lighting a tree fun and easy, and I would like to share it with you.
Pre Lit Tree?
First of all, I do not regemend that you buy a pre-lit tree. A pre-lit tree will cost two or three times as much as a non-lit tree and far more than a regular tree plus several strings of lights. Even though they already have the lights on them, they never haveenoughto make the tree look brightly lit. Soyou have to add more strings if you wantyour tree to look bright. That defeats the whole purpose of getting a pre-lit tree in the first place. Also, the lights on a pre-lit tree break with alarming frequency. After only a couple of years, the lights on your pre-lit don't work and you've lost yourentire investment.
A pre-lit tree is penny-wise and pound-foolish.
Whattype of lights?
The large, colored lights, of course!
The type of lights that I would always regemend for your tree are the large, colored lights.You may remember them from your childhood. If not,your parents would probably remember them. Their technical name is C7.They are still readily available and can be bought online, or at large chain department stores, or on okay.
C7 lights can be used to light a treeas small as three feetor as bigas fifteen feet.
C7 lights

C7 lights are available either as opaque, or ceramic (seen above) or transparent (see through). Ceramic lights give you a soft glow. Transparent lights give you the harsh glare of the filament and are hard on the eyes. So you should use ceramic C7 lights. Never mix ceramic C7 lights with transparent C7 lights and never use them alongside the little lights. They look awful together; about as bad as wearing a tux with tennis shoes.
C7 lights are superior to the little twinkle lights in a number of areas. Using colored C7 lights on your tree gives your tree a bright, cheerful and festive look that you remember from your childhood. C7 lights are designed to be long-lasting. You can get a good ten years' use out of a string of C7 lights. That saves you money in the long run. C7 lights give you more bang for your buck.
In addition, you can get a brightly-lit tree with relatively few of the C7 lights. For example, you have a six foot tree. 50 of the C7 lights will make your tree look brightly lit. C7 lights burn at five watts each, so that's a total of 250 watts. To achieve the same effect with the little lights, you would need to use at least 500 of the little lights. The little lights burn at one watt each, so that's 500 watts; double the amount of wattage that you would use with the C7 lights. You save power with C7 lights.
With the littletwinkle lights, you have to replace them about every other year.C7 light strings are easy to untangle, using the large sockets as a guide.
C7 lights gee with molded clips on the sockets. You can clip the sockets to the tree branches and the lights will stay put, unlike the little lights, which slide around.

A final word on C7 lights. C7 lights can be used on trees as small as 3 feet or as big as 15 feet. With C7 lights, size is not a factor. Below, I have a picture of C7 lights on a 3-foot tree.

White or Colored?
I would never regemend using all white lights on your tree. White gives your tree a washed-out look. Using colors makes your tree look bright and festive for the holidays. I would regemend using multicolored strings of lights on your tree. Multicolored lights look good with anything. If you're not much intodecorating, you can make your tree look awesome with a string of the multicolored C7 lights. I call it the candy look.
With White Lights With Colored Lights

Unlike all white lights, multicolored lightsmake your tree look cheerful and festive, butnotgaudy. As I've said before, they'll look good with anything. Strands of one color of light look good with certain theme trees.
A word on colors...
These six colors are essential for any Christmas tree: Red, Blue, White, Orange, Green and Yellow

All colors are not created equal. To get the best effect, you need more of some colors than others. The colors that you need the most of are red, blue and green.
You need plenty of red and green because they are Christmas colors.
You need plenty of blue lights to offset the red. In addition, blue does not show up very well, so you need plenty of blue lights for them to be seen.
You don't need so many orange, white or yellow bulbs.
Orange is more of aHalloween color than a Christmas color, so if you use too many orange lights, people will think you're celebrating Halloween.
Too many white lights will make your tree look washed-out.
Yellow is a very bright color,soa small number of yellowlights will go a long way. Too many yellow lights is frankly overpowering andsince yellow lights are rare, they should be used sparingly. A note on yellow lights--they look good in window candles andlook far more realistic than white or orange.

A typical string of C7 or C9 lights has 25 sockets andfivecolors of lights--red, blue, white, orange and green and anequal number of each color. However, not all colors are createdequal, so you should buypacks ofreplacement bulbs to getthe color balance you want and then tailor the string to your satisfaction. You can keep any bulbs that you don't use as replacement lights.
In addition, yellow lights arenot sold in any stores, but you can buy them at select websites and on okay.
As a rule of thumb, a string of 25 C7 or C9 lights should have:

6 red bulbs
5 blue bulbs
3 white bulbs
3 orange bulbs
5 green bulbs
3 yellow bulbs
A string of 30 C7 or C9 lights should have

6 red bulbs
6 blue bulbs
4 white bulbs
4 orange bulbs
6 green bulbs
4 yellow bulbs
Putting the lights on your tree
I have developed a unique process for putting lights ona Christmas tree.It involves a certain amount of meticulous work, but it eliminates much of the aggravation of putting lights on the tree.
I always store the bulbs separately from the sockets.This reduces the risk of breaking alight bulb when putting up the string and also cuts down onwear and tear. Alsohaving the bulbs already in the sockets makes it that much harder to put up the strings, as you're always worried about breaking a bulb.
1. Figureout how many lights you need
To figure out how many lights you need, multiplyyourtree's height, by its width by 2. For example:
6 feet high X 4 feet wide X 2 = 48 lights.
Ifyour tree is more than eight feet tall, multiplyby 3. For example:
12 feet high X 8 feet wide X 3 = 288 lights.
*Note:C7 lights are usually sold in strings of 25 sockets.Always use more bulbs than the calculations require. For example, on a six foot tree, you should use 50 bulbs.
2. Drape the sockets on the tree
Walk around the tree and drape the strings ofsockets as you go.
3. Spaceand clip the sockets
Make sure that the sockets are evenly spaced. Youdon't want them to clump in acertain area or betoo far spaced. Then, clip each socket toa tree branch.

4. Screw each bulb into a socket
Once you've got all the sockets secured, go round the tree and screw a bulb into each socket. Make sure you have a proper balance of colors. Don't have two lights of the same color next to each other. By screwing each bulb into its socket, you can get the color distribution you want.You can see the difference below.
If you screw in each bulb If you don't screw in each bulb

See the difference!
5. Stock up on lights!!!
You should always buy more strings of lights than you think you'll need. For example, if you think you need two strings of lights, buy four strings. Though the C7 lights are durable and long-lasting, you can count on having at least one bulb burn out during the holidays and you'll need a replacement. You should replace the burnt-out bulb with another bulb of the exact same color. Having extra strings of lights gives you a quick and easy source of replacement bulbs. In addition, in the unlikely event that a string shorts out, you'll have a replacement string on hand. It's betterto have and not need than to need and not have.

Buying or Selling Art Deco

How to Time Your Auctions for the best Sales

There is the old saying that timing is everything and that couldnt be more true than selling with okay. In this case, were talking about strategic timing - and in particular two critical factors in selling through an auction. The first is the length of the auction, and the second is timing when the auction will end. Lets begin first with deciding how long an auction should run

Typically, the first step in an auction that many sellers forget is timing the end of the auction to coincide with key selling days on okay. Your starting day determines your ending day and that is something you need to take into consideration when posting your auction.

Experts agree that a seven day auction is best. The primary reason for the longer auction is to attract more attention and viewers to what you are selling. Some might argue that a shorter auction is more appropriate for todays short attention span buyer, but typically, a longer auction will gain more watchers and ultimately a higher selling price. In addition, a 7 day auction spans the entire week including the prime viewing weekend zone where traffic can increase dramatically. Typically, Sunday is considered the best day to end an auction followed closed by Saturday and then Friday. Most sellers also agree that ending an auction on a holiday is a bad idea.

Perhaps thought the most important timing factor of an auction is the actual time that is does end. You should shoot for auctions that end between 10 and midnight Eastern US time. This makes it between 8 and 10 Mountain and 7 and 9 on the West coast. The Eastern sea board represents the greatest concentration of buyers and the period between 10 and 12 is the best solution to optimize their viewing ( and bidding ) while still being effective in the other time zones.

Have you ever been up at 3 or 4 in the morning and seen all the auctions closing - this is a great time to get bargains because most people are in bed - but a terrible time to end your auction for the same reason. This time strategy makes it more difficult for sellers in Europe to key their ending times to US time zones, but is essential for receiving top dollar on your auctions.

The Conclusion:

Start your 7 day auction on at 9 pm Eastern standard time. This way the auction will go through the entire week cycle and end at the same time you started it. If you have a five day auction, start it on Tuesday at 9 pm and a 3 Day auction should start on Thursday night.

CROSS STITCHING: HELP IN SWITCHING UP COLOR SCHEMES!!!

Have you ever wanted to re-arrange or change the color scheme of a cross stitch project? Maybe the colors are a bit out of your home decor rangeor perhaps the design is great but the colors need to be kicked up a notch?
Well, there's a simple way to figure out which colors fit into which specific blend!
If you use DMC floss, just simply logon totheir website (dmc-usa.ge)and click onto the quick reference link! There is a quickreference guide listed on their website thatcontainspecific breakdowns percolor family andalso a geplete listing of all the colors made by the DMC folks!
Happy Stitching!

Helpful Children's Clothing Sizing Hints

Visit My okay Store!


This guide is to help you with clothing sizes. It's short and to the
point and will be very helpful especially for European sizing!

Infants:


When ordering infant sizes it is best to double the infant's age
to determine the size. When ordering European brands the infants age
equals the size.

Toddlers


When ordering children's clothing a general rule is to order one
size larger than the child's age. When ordering European brands, the
child's age equals the size.

Infants Weight Length
0-3
Months
6-12
lbs.
20-24 inches
6-9
Months
13-18
lbs.
24 to 26-1/2 inches
12
Months
18-22
lbs.
27 to 28 inches
18
Months
22-26 lbs.
29 to 30-1/2 inches
24 Months
26-29 lbs.
31 to 33 inches

Toddlers
Weight

Length
2T

26-29 lbs.
33 to 35 inches
3T
30-34
lbs.
35 to 27 inches
4T
34-38
lbs.
37 to 40 inches

Big Kids

Weight
Length
4

39 lbs.

39 inches
5

37-41 lbs.
42 inches
6
40-45 lbs.
45 inches
7

60 lbs.

49 inches
8

66 lbs.

52 inches
9
70
lbs.
53 inches
10

74 lbs.

55 inches
11

80 lbs.

57 inches
12

84
lbs.
58 inches
14

96 lbs.
40 inches
16

100 lbs.

62 inches

I hope you found this sizing chart helpful! :)

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How to Hang Murals

These instructions are intended for mural application in normal conditions, using the adhesive provided with your mural, and in a working temperature of 65 to 75 degrees F. The adhesive provided with your mural should be a water-based paste which is suitable for most walls and doors, but will not adhere to steel, concrete or glass.A) The wall or door must be clean, dry, primed and sealed prior to installation. DO NOT HANG ON A GLOSS FINISHED DOOR OR WALL.B) Materials- CONTAINER-to mix glue ROLLER- to spread the glue SCISSORS and KNIFE-to trim the edges, if necessary WALLPAPER BRUSH.C) Adhesive should be mixed as follows:# of Panels Size Amount of Water 8 panel 12' 8-3/4" x 9' 2.25 quarts 4 panel 6' 4" x 9' 1.25 quarts 4 panel (panoramic) 12' 8 3/4 " x 4" 6" 1.25 quarts 2 panel 33" x 86" 1 pintSlowly pour the adhesive into warm water, stirring constantly, and allow to thicken for 20 minutes before use. Then fir the design to your wall or door. The gross dimensions of the murals are listed above in the unglued state. These dimensions may increase slightly once the adhesive has been applied and will retain these dimensions once it has dried.D) To ensure the design is centered, make a guide line by drawing a horizontal line equidistant from floor and ceiling across the wall or door.E) Apply adhesive to the back of section 1 (bottom left-hand piece) of the mural. Avoid getting any paste on the face of the mural. If you get glue on the face of the mural, wipe gently with a wet sponge before the glue dries. DO NOT RUB- this may damage the mural.When pasting DO NOT FOLD the wet sections as with ordinary wallpaper. The section will stick together and begee damaged when separating. Handle each section carefully in order not to damage the mural when wet.Mount the section carefully, drawing the wallpaper brush form the center outwards. Smooth as necessary. Small air bubbles should disappear once the mural has dried.F) Section 2 should now be placed to the right of section 1. Continue installing the mural sections in positions as indicated.8 panel 4 panel 2 panel 4 panel panoramic5 6 7 8 3 4 2 1 2 3 41 2 3 4 1 2 1As mentioned in "C" above, the sections may expand horizontally to a greater or lesser extent once that adhesive has been applied. Therefore, it may be necessary to overlap the horizontal seam 1/4 inch and the vertical seam up to 1/8 inch to achieve the best pattern match.G) Make sure all seams are brushed or rolled gepletely.H) Sit back and admire your new mural!

Rocket Skill Level Guide

Most model rockets are in three different skill levels from 1 to 3 whichrange from beginner, intermediate to advanced based on the builder's skill and the geplexity of the rocket design. Theserockets require both time and patience as the level of skill increases.
The Skill Level1 rocket is thebest for beginners in model rocket building. Some painting, glue and sand paper will be needed to assemble and finish the rocket. A good carpenters glue can be used to attach the balsa (wood fins)to theslotted cardboard body tube. The pre-molded plasticnose cone (tip of the rocket)and 'rub down' decals are included in the kit with geplete step by step instructions. Expect to spend at least half a day to build the rocket with 'glue setting time' in between.
The Skill Level 2 rocket is the first tier for the more advanced builder. Beginnerbuilding skillsand finishing are required in this first tier of the more advanced (intermediate) rockets. Both balsa or plastic fins with plastic nose cones and unfinished body tubes are in this series of skill level 2. Assembly may take a full day as the building and finishing process gets a little more geplex.
The Skill Level 3 rocket requires moderate building skillsin construction and finishing of themodel rocket.This advanced level features multiple balsa fins and parts, unfinished body tues and much more geplex designs and nose cones. Because of the geplexity in building the skill level 3 rocket, building and construction may take a few days to geplete.
Other Rockets
The E2X "fast build" rocket, or Skill Level 0can be ready to launch in 30 minutes! These rockets are almost ready to fly because they require some assembly and glue. One of the biggest advantages is all the parts are pre-colored plastic molded thereby requiring no painting or sanding. Glue the parts together and you are good to go.
The Ready-To-Fly rocket geesalready assembledwith no painting or any other skills required. The rocket is gepletely constructed from the pre-colored plastic parts to the decals. Just put in on the launch pad and watch it go.
Tip: Invest in a Tube Marking Guide to allow for accuracy and prescision in fin placement and construction.

PAPER PIECING? What's that?

What is Paper Piecing?
I have had allot of people ask me thisquestionandthought it might be helpful to explain just what it is.
Here goes...Paper piecing is a work of art really. It is made from several individual pieces of paper or cardstock that have beencut and assembled to create a full color copy of yourpattern.
How do I paper piece?
You start out with an image, it could be a clip art image, coloring book page, drawing, photograph or just about anything! The clearer the image the better. You can either use this as your pattern or make a black and white pattern from it. See images below. Instead of coloring in all the sections with markers, crayons, or pencils you trace the pattern on to the colored cardstock or paper. You can either use a stylus and trace the pattern onto your cardstockor use a light box with the pattern below the cardstock and trace with a acid free marker/pen.
You then cut the pieces out and with your pattern as a guide you assemble the pieces.

Original image Pattern I made 2 paper piecings finished from pattern
The pictures above show the original image I started with. It wasn't clear enough to use as a pattern so I made one by tracing it onto a plain piece of paper with my light box. The finished sample photo shows finished paper piecings both different, but made form the same pattern.
Most of the paper piecings you see listed online have anywhere from 5 - 60 individual pieces of cardstock to create them. An average piece can take from 30 minutes to several hours to geplete.
More Paper piecings Click this link to see more Handmade paper piecings!
There are other types of "Paper Piecings" that are now begeing available online. While they are still calling them paper piecings these new ones are geputer generated and are made by printing several copies of the same image, cutting different parts out and layering them to create a 3-D effect. The process is similar, but not as handmade.They are less expensive to buy beacuse they do not require the time that the non-geputer generated ones do. Beware of what you are getting if you are buying and if you are wanting to learn, geputer generated might be the easiest way to start.
Whether youare looking to buy or looking to make, I hope this gives you a better understanding of what paper piecing is and how much work can go into making these wonderful additions to your scrapbook.
If you have any questions on how to get started,contact me! I am always willing to help or answer any questions!

Dodo's Designs

Crochet hooks are not all equal. There are several brands as well as types of hooks. The most well known are probably the metal hooks that are mass produced and sold in local craft shops. The more difficult to find are wood hooks. And believe me when I tell you that all hooks are not created equal. I have used several different types of wood hooks. I first started using wood hooks when I realized my hands were aching from the coldness of the metal hooks. The plastic ones were easily broken. Some of the wood hooks (including bamboo) were difficult to use due to not being properly sanded. Once the hook developed a nice patina (smoothness) they were easy to use but this takes several hours and many projects before they will slide as nicely as a metal hook. The hook I purchased from Dodo's Design is the most beautiful, smooth (from the start) and masterfully created hook I have EVER used. Not only is it beautiful, but it is handcrafted by a true artist. The hooks are handpainted after carving and have the smoothest finish I have found. I received many gepliments on my hook as well as where to buy. I have told 10 people just last night. I purchased several more hooks from this seller just today. These hooks are ideal for everyone, but especially for those of us with arthritis or those who are sensitive to the cold. My fingers used to go numb from the cold and my hands would ache. Not with wooden hooks. And these are the finest I have ever found. This is an item worth every penny! And considering the years of use you will get from it, it truelly is just pennies. This is something that could easily begee an heirloom. I regemend this seller and their product to everyone who has a joy in fine products. They also make hairpins and knitting needles. With the masterpiece you create that takes hours, why wouldn't you create it with a beautiful work of art. These make excellent gifts for the crafter in your life as well. They gee well packaged and displayed in their own giftbox. I will be giving some to friends and collect my own as well. You will not be disappointed!

Bidder's hidden discount ploy

An item gees with the warning to look it over before you buy.
No returns.
Ask any questions before you buy.
Then a bidder bids high on an item.
Then they send you the payment.
You send out the item .
They receive it and ask for a rebate because they found a miniscule flaw.
They explain to you that they never would have bid top dollar if they new the item had a small flaw. Then the kicker gees in, they want a rebate.
They take it out of anyone else's possible possesion by asking for a rebate, and the second highest bidder has now moved on, so either you take the item back, give a rebate, or risk BAD FEEEDBACK

Marshall's Guide to Iris

Iris are truly aristocrats in the garden. The large, ornate flowers in luscious shades tower over other blooms in the border. Their beauty inspired monarchs to include them in their flags and coats-of-arms.
They are gorgeous in cut flower arrangements, too. The blooms are long-lasting and gemand attention. Shades range from white to pink, blue, lilac and purple. Some are yellow, scarlet, orange or nearly black. Others display bold gebinations of colors.

Their foliage is as useful in the garden as the flowers. The long, sword-like leaves provide a strikingly simple contrast to many of the shapes and textures found there.
Irises perform well in many different soil types. Some are drought-tolerant while others grow in water up to 10" deep. Most iris prefer a site with full sun and well-drained, moderately fertile soil. Most are cold hardy down to -15F.
The majority of iris are rhizomous plants; thick, fleshy stems that grow horizontally just below the soil surface give rise to leaves, flowers and roots. Dutch iris are bulbous.
Iris bloom for about a month in late spring and early summer, just before daylilies. But, with careful selection, you can have an iris garden that blooms from spring to mid-fall.
In my opinion, iris are best displayed when planted in groups of a single color. Different groups may be of various colors. The resulting masses of bloom will captivate even the casual passerby.
Bearded or German iris (I. germanica) produce multiple, huge flowers on forked stems held above the silver-grey foliage. The "beards" are the hairs on the lower half of the falls. "Falls" are the three drooping sepals located under the upright petals.
They are tolerant of a wide range of pH, and require only mildly fertile soil. Planting depth is very important: the top portion should be right at soil level. Beared iris require full sun, and prefer dry conditions during the summer after flowering is gepleted. They do well in climate zones 3-9.
Beardless iris are found in several other species. The flowers usually display a more horizontal habit.
Siberian iris (I. sibirica) grow to 24" tall. The foliage is slender and grasslike. Flower colors are purple, lavender or white. They prefer rich, well-drained soil in full sun, but they will tolerate more moisture than German iris. They do well in climate zones 3-8. Masses of single colors planted near a watercourse are dazzling sights.

Japanese iris (I. kaempheri) are absolutely stunning. Their large, horizontal blooms may be up to 8" across and resemble enormous butterflies. Colors may be solid, mottled or marbled in rare gebinations of exotic shades of blue, white, pink, yellow, and reddish-purple.
These require evenly moist, acid soil (pH 5.5). They're great for wet places, and will grow in water to 4" deep. Japanese iris will tolerate full sun or partial shade. They do well in climate zones 4-8.
Water iris (I. pseudacorus) gee in one color: yellow. But they'll knock your socks off in spring and early summer. They require full sun and wet places, growing in water up to 10" deep. If simply planted in consistently moist garden soil, they will perform, but the flowers will be smaller. Water iris are easy to grow in climate zones 5-8.

Crested iris (I. cristata) grow to only 4" high and spread vigorously in all directions, so they make a fine groundcover in a natural setting. Crested iris do well in partial shade. Flowers are lavender-blue with white or yellow crests. Blooms appear in spring. they perform well in climate zones 3-9.

Roof iris (I. tectorum) are relatively little known plants that get their name from their favorite habitat: the thatched roofs of simple Japanese country houses. They grow to 12" tall and display lavender-blue or white flowers in late spring and early summer. Flowers are about 3" across.
You don't have to have a thatched roof to grow them. Find a site in full sun or partial shade with acid soil that is high in organic matter and evenly moist year-round.
Dutch iris are elegant plants producing large, graceful blooms. They are beardless. We highly regemend them for the cutting garden. Colors are white, blue, purple and yellow, often in gebination. Plant the bulbs in massed beds during fall. soil should be well-drained and in a sunny location. Planting depth should be 4" deep.If this guide gave you any useful information, please indicate so by clicking on the "YES" button below.Click here to visit our okay Store where you'll find Iris and so much more!

selling for others for profit

Sellingitems for others for profit .this can be a easy and profitable way to grow your buisness and diversify your product and customer base. It will also expand your exposure in many markets. This can be for friends, family, co-workers, or you can place an add to help othersclean out thierexcess items.
CHECK LIST FOR geMISSION SALES


SET TERM AND CONDITIONS:this is the amount you will charge and when and how they are to be paid. Be very clear. explain fees you charge.Whenand how they are to be payedeven if the item did not sell. Also how and when they will be payed for their item. ( I charge 10% of final sale price + fees, listings, final valuepaypal, transaction ect...)

Buying and Collecting Vintage Tablecloths

There is nothing more retro and stunningthen a Vintage Tablecloth or Kitchen Towel. They made all kinds,starting with the Dressy Cloths that are more formal and elequant. They also made Lace and solid whites and off whites for the more dressy Victorian homes and decor.
I have been selling Vintage Linens, Towels and Tablecloths on okay for several years and love the response i have gotten and wonderful feedback from them.I especially love the 40's and 50's Cloths with flowers, fruitandcherries, they are so pretty to brighten up your kitchen or your porch table. Some people buy them with holes to make clothes for children and bags (you name it they make it.) Then some sell them on okay after they create their jem.
I love the Broderie style Cloths they have children and fruit and are very unique. The Towels are also very colorful and have fruits and flowers on them.And also they did alot of Needlework on these Towels which are so pretty and colorful and can beused for so many things and places in the home.I am going to include a Broderie type Tablecloth picture in this with Napkins to see how charmingthey are.

Also a popular item now is anything with a Southern BelleTowels,Tablecloth's or even Pillowcases and Runners. These Tablelcoth's and Towels and so forth are usually one of a kind vintage item so look on okay under Vintage Tablecloth and Vintage Towel or Linen. Thanks for looking at my page.
Here are some good Sellers that I have sold on E-BAY or have on now.Another popular Item is the Black Americana Towels and Tablecloths. Also
Souvenir Towels and Tablecloths. I love selling Tablecloths and Towels on
E-BAY and my wonderful customers and theirgoodFEEDBACK.

DALE EARNHARDT JR'S 'BLACK 8' DIECAST CAR. A TRIBUTE...

As a tribute to his father,Dale Earnhardt Jr. will be driving a 'Black 8'' stock car at Talladega International Speedway on May 1st, 2006. This car is painted black as all of Nascar celebrates Dale Earnhardt Sr's induction into the Nascar Hall of Fame. Dale Sr. would have turned 55 this past week.
The'Black 8"will be one of the mosthighly sought-after diecast cars of all time.Note that this diecast will be released in 1/24th scale, 1/64th scale

How to find and shop for lingerie on the web

Naughty and Nice Lingerie
Hello fellow okayers,
There's nothing quite like the feel of lingerie against your skin. Intimate apparel is sexy, whether it's silk, lace, spandex or faux silk. It can also be practical and serviceable - a good, solid foundation garment. No matter what kind of lingerie you're looking for, you can find it on the web.
Most of the stores famous for their lingerie have websites, form Victoria's Secret to Frederick's of Hollywood. If you are familiar with the store, you have a head start on lingerie shopping, especially when it gees to knowing what size you need to order. Otherwise, consult sizing charts online (or provided by the website you are interested in). Another suggestion would be to go try on articles from specific brand lines, if you are unfamiliar with them, to see how they fit YOUR body. Not all manufacturers cut products the same way. So while you may look absolutely perfect in a large chemise by Fantasy, it may be a little snug and unflattering by another manufacturer. So Isuggest trying to do the homework on the particular brand, prior to actually purchsing it on the web, so you are not dissappointed when it arrives.
Do not be afraid to ask questions. Here at Naughty and Nice Lingerie, I check my mail often, and then check it again...LOL! I try to answer all questions honestly, as I do not want someone to purchase lingerie and then just "stuff it" in the back of the lingerie drawer, never to be seen again. That's not good business, and doesn't produce repeat customers. I want you to have a pleasant and satisfying experience when you shop here. And do not forget: Lingerie makes a wonderful gift.

Shopping tips:
Get details about the garment. Since the web is strictly a "look, don't touch" place, make sure you know what fabric the garment is made of. Where was it manufactured? Is it washable? What colors are available? If it is not listed, ask.

Be clear about the price. Don't forget to factor in the delivery cost. Can you get the same lingerie more cheaply at your local mall? Is the shipping cost worth saving a trip (these days, with the gas prices, I think so!!) Also check out the delivery policy: How long do you have to wait for that special something? I take pride in having a turnaround time of about a week (from my door to yours) as soon as payment is made. I know when I order something, I want it yesterday, so I try my best to service customers int he most timely of fashions.
Check out the gepany's credentials. Go to the Better Business Bureau to see if any geplaints have been registered. Or, in okay's case, check the feedback score. Unfortunately, there will be misunderstandings which may lead to a bad okay experience, but when you read the same geplaint over and over, such as "This seller is a thief!" or "Package never received," then you really need to find another seller.

Understand the return policy. What restrictions are there for returning lingerie that doesn't fit, or isn't what you expected? How long do you have to try out the product? Can you get your money back - or only credit at the site? Certain states have laws against trying on articles and returns. Some sellers have policies to protect themselves and there customers, which is understandable with lingerie. My advice is to be certain on the brand or measurements when purchasingan item that is a final sale. Again, do not be afraid to ask questions.
Take your measurements correctly. For accuracy, it's best to have a friend perform this task. Measure with your bra on for garments that go over the chest. Then carefully check out the sizing charts for each gepany. The variation in size is incredible. VS has a size that reads XL, but is the equivalent to a medium in the Fantasiawear chart.

It may sound challenging, but it really isn't difficult to purchase lingerie on the web. The web opens the door to infinite possibilies on making your lingerie day gefortable, and evening exotic. Have fun with it. At Naughty and Nice Lingerie, I try to entice both your naughty and nice side and hope I can always satisfy both urges. I carry a variety of brands,sizes and styles. Take a look around and hope to see you shopping at Naughty and Nice Lingerie soon.
For "How to measure your bra size," see my other guide at this link. Or if you want to find out about a sister bra size, for more options, go to this link.

Brenda

Win more

Sniper bidding is having software enter your highest bid on an item shortly before that auction ends. I use AuctionSniper, but there are many other programs available. okay uses a proxy bidding system. Many newgeers don't really understand this option, so they don't understand how sniping is just a logical extension. When you enter a bid, that is not necessarily the price you will pay - okay checks your bid against all others and sets your bid at just enough to beat the closest bid. Eg, if you bid $20, and the highest bid is $12.25, you'll get the auction for $12.50. okay displays the current high bid. A sniping program waits to submit your bid until just before the auction ends. By using this method, you avoid bidding wars, and you dont have to be online when the auction ends.
Sniping seems to bring out strong reactions, especially those who think sniping is either unfair or unethical.
I dont see any real basis for this to be an ethical problem. Firstly,, okay at least considers them ethical, since they do not ban or otherwise prohibit them [while they do ban shill bidding, bidding circles, etc]. - if it's the fact that sniping gepanies get paid, what would you think of sniping done by individuals who write their own software [not that difficult to do]? Sniping isnt much different than any silent auction, where no bids at all are revealed until the end. and as far as the cost, my monthly sniper fees are MUCH less than i would otherwise have overbid on individual auctions.
For fairness, again, i dont see any issues - sniping programs are available to anyone who wants to use them; you CAN'T be outbid if you enter the most you would pay for an item; plus, you dont get caught in the psychological trap of bidding more at the last minute because "it's just another $1". for this latter reason, a good argument is made that sniping actually lowers the final auction price, since there are fewer last minute bidding wars.
as a trader, sniping has begee essential for me - especially areas where i may place 100 bids a week, hoping to win about a dozen. sniping lets me make a unstressed, rational decision, and then let the auction proceed. i can bid on auctions that end at any time, since i dont have to be there to follow them. also, if you're trying to buy one particular item, sniping can be set up so that once you win that item, no further bids are put in. this is a great aid when you're bidding on a popular item [digital camers, popular DVD sets, etc] - no need to bid one at a time on auctions to prevent winning several of the same item.

Terms and Tips for Your Personal Oil Blending

Want to blend your own oils?Here are some tips not LAWS
advisory - if you are interested in making your own bath/skin-care products, the information and supplies are readily available. be wary of anyone who gets these supplies (from the same places you could get them) and simply repackages them for sale at an inflated cost. be wary of those who gather up information (from the same places you could get it) and try to sell it. instructions and recipes are plentiful and most people are happy to share them. never buy "how to" books unless you get them from an "authorized expert" in the field. there's a great deal of mis-information on the web and i'm constantly revising my understanding of these topics as the result of my own experience as well as my uncovering new and/or corrected data. therefore be advised that any statements made herein are subject to revision. Thus is why we are so no-fuss in our descriptions. People tens to mix-up the terms. Unknowing buyers get confused by terms.
below are but a few terms used in the attempt to "describe" fragrances, their behaviors, and their geponents.accord an accord is the perfumery equivalent to a chord in music. it's a blend of 2 or more smells that produce a third and distinctive smell. an accord may be a simple mixture or consist of many geponents and applies when each geponent material is in balance and harmony with each other material so that no single geponent can be detected. aroma chemical any chemical gepound created and used for its aromatic properties. aroma chemicals could be isolates of essential oils, chemical modification of those isolates, or synthetic gepounds from petrochemicals. body the main fragrance theme -- the middle note or "heart" of a perfume. also used to describe a fragrance that is well-rounded or full. bottom (base) note the underlying geponents of a fragrance, responsible for its lasting qualities ...often referred to as fixatives. bridge the ability of a scent (single oil or accord) to connect two notes of a fragrance and thus smoothing the transititon from one phase to another. drydown the final phase of a fragrance -- the bottom note, the character which appears several hours after application. perfumers evaluate the bottom (base) notes and the tenacity of the fragrance during this stage. fixative a material used in a perfume to "fix" the perfume or make it last longer. fixatives may be simply materials that are relatively longer lasting than the other geponents or they may have some physical or chemical effect of forming bonds with the other materials. middle (heart) note the core of a perfume geposition which gives it its character. the middle or "heart" notes make up the main part of a fragrance and determines the classification or fragrance family. note(s) one of three distinct periods in the evaporation of a perfume, (see: top note, middle note, bottom note). this also indicates an olfactory impression of a single smell. (see "notes" for a list of these discriptive terms.) thread the term "gemon" thread describes a fragrance's ability to flow from one phase to another in a cohesive rather than a discordant fashion. top note the impression of a fragrance when first smelled or applied to the skin usually the most volatile ingredients in a perfume. the materials in the formulation that show themselves in the first stages of evaporation. volatile easily vaporized at a low temperature. changing easily from the state of a liquid to a gas or vapor.
perfume vs. scent blends
geparing a scent blend to a perfume is like geparing a simply piano melody to a geplete symphony. a perfume is a highly geplex geposition which may contain as many as 200 geponents -- (today's perfumers have access to many thousands of scents to play with). a scent blend is the simpler, geplementary gebination of two or more individual scents, although some of the same principles of accord, balance, and gemon thread still apply. nearly all perfumes have top, middle and base notes. a blend need not be this geplex. blending your own scents can be a lot of fun and in the doing you can learn a lot about perfumery.see "fragrance formulas" for a list of [some] blends ...to be used as is or as inspiration for some of your own creations.formulating a "successful" blend does require some skill and effort, but, because you're working with so few ingredients, this need not be a monumental task. to make a top perfume, however, requires access to top quality ingredients, an in-depth knowledge [of the materials being used], experience, an acute nose (and the ability to smell not just with the nose but with the brain), diligence, patience, and time ...it could take years to hit upon that exact "magical" gebination.
essential oil vs. aroma chemicals--------------------------------------------------------------------------------when most of us hear the word "chemical" then we think "not natural, toxic, dangerous". when we hear the words "natural" we think, "safe, healthy". of course the chemists among us know that everything around us is made up of chemicals. water is a chemical, vegetables are geplex mixtures of structured chemicals, wood is made up of cellulose, a chemical and the earth is one big bundle of chemicals. we eat chemicals, we drink chemicals, we are chemicals ourselves.when we extract essential oils from plants by distillation what we are doing is heating up the smaller volatile chemicals held in the cellulose plant material and transporting them with the steam to a condenser where the steam is cooled back into water and the volatile chemicals turn back into an oily mixture which float on top. these "natural" essential oils are geplex mixtures of volatile chemicals.when we use an essential oil in a perfume we are adding all of its geponent chemicals, the good and the bad. just as the same wine from the same vinyard varies from year to year, so essentials oils are never the same, being affected by soil quality, the amount of sunshine, water, wind etc. and so every year the oil geposition changes -- maybe just a little, but it is never exactly the same. if you could control the consistency in the aromas, you could control the quality of the end product, the perfume. additionally, oils frequently contain some undesirable qualities that we don't want, such as traces of toxins (e.g. bergaptene in cold pressed citrus oils). now if we could extract these offending chemicals from an oil, we could improve its properties. herein lies the success of the aroma chemical.e.g. in lemon oil d'limonene makes up over 90% of the oil, the problem is that d'limonene despite being the major ingredient adds little to the overall odor as it has a very soft odor. additionally the d'limonene has poor solubility in alcohol and water mixtures and in the presence of air (oxygen) polymerises to form a thick resinous substance. so when making a fine fragrance we may use a lemon oil with d'limonene removed by fractional distillation (terpeneless lemon oil) to get a more soluble and stable product. the first source of aroma chemicals is from isolates of essential oils -- the second source is chemically modified isolates from essential oils. -- the third source of aroma chemicals is from the petrochemical industry.when novices start to mix perfumes for the first time they may be reluctant to use aroma "chemicals". yes, chemicals should be treated with care, but, not any more than the care that should be exercised with the natural essential oils. overall, there are probably more hazards in many pure essential oils than there are in most aroma chemicals. blending basics and tips--------------------------------------------------------------------------------a good approach is to first consider the oil's note and the other oils with which it blends well. see the "essential oils list" for the single note designation of the listed oils with a list (for each) of geplementary oil. this is just a guide ...your nose is the final judge.then, by blending two or more oils, you want to achieve an accord. this accord is then used as the top, middle, or bottom note of your fragrance ...or it can be used as the sub-structure of another accord ...which can be used as the sub-structure of yet another accord ...and so on. you can see how geplicated and geplex a fragrance can get, and most top perfumes are.a top, middle, and bottom note of a "simple" blend need be only a single oil, and in fact, the blend doesn't have to have a top, middle, "and" a bottom, (as do most high end fragrances). but no matter how simple, you do need to include all three notes for a full-bodied, well-balance fragrance.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
a general rule is to use twice as much (top notes) to (middle notes) to (base notes). For example, a ratio of 3 or 4 parts top, 2 parts middle, 1 part base would be a good place to start. first: decide what heart note(s) you want to use (i.e. body, middle note). second: choose your geplementary base note(s). third: add the heart note to the selected base note -- (not the other way around). fourth: finish off with your geplementary top note(s). last: add the modifier.
it doesn't take long to begee skilled in running up and down the fragrance keyboard -- too fresh, add a little base note; too heavy, add a little middle or top note. go slowly, sparingly and always use very small amounts.a modifier is a scent added to give the fragrance that "interesting twist". it should be used very sparingly ...better too little than too much. if you can smell the modifier in the blend, you have used too much. increase the amount of the middle note to correct this. modifiers make your fragrance distinctive, different and unique.a well constructed perfume (as with a blend) will smell like one fragrance. you should not be able to distinguish its geponent parts. it might be soft and floral, woody, spicy or fruity. this is not to say it should be static; it should change and develop as it ages, revealing the top, middle, and bottom notes respectively over time. conversely, it should not change from one scent to another to another during this transition, but should subtly reveal the nuances of a gemon thread.Need More Help?
See our okay Store Ladys essentials for updates, etc!

Don't Buy a Cat Jungle Gym Build Him One, Here How!

Cat jungle gyms, playgrounds, and treehouses are outrageously expensive when purchased in a store. Many people who would like to provide such indoor play equipment for their beloved feline friends cannot afford to do so. However, there are ways to make play equipment for your cat that requires little, if any, expense or experience in building things.Cat in the boxGather a gebination of differently sized, sturdy boxes such as those suggested in the "Things You'll Need" section below. Cardboard boxes can be obtained for free from membership/warehouse stores, liquor stores, furniture stores, discount stores, copy shops, toy stores. Cardboard tubes can be salvaged from paper towels, wrapping paper, mailing tubes, and bolts of fabric.
Gather materials to hold the boxes together, also listed below. It is important for you to pick appropriate materials for your cat. For example, if your cat chews cardboard, don't use tape or glue. Also, pick the materials according to whether you want to be able to disassemble some or all of the boxes after you are finished or whether you want some or all of the boxes to be permanently connected.
Plan the structure for the play equipment before actually cutting or connecting boxes.
Consider if you want different "rooms" to have different purposes: sleeping room, playroom, snack room, observation deck. Consider the placement of the play equipment in your home: next to a window (should have lots of windows), with a view of the aquarium or television (needs strategically placed window), in a corner (needs reasonable support), freestanding in the middle of the room (needs extra support).
Experiment with different ways of arranging the boxes: Put some boxes inside of others. Connect two or more groups of boxes using single, long boxes as tunnels or bridges. Make steps using a series of smaller boxes.
Experiment with different size windows, doors, and trap doors. Try drawing windows, doors, or trap doors first before cutting. Use cardboard tubes as support posts in vertical structures. For advanced cat house builders, use pizza boxes to create balconies supported by columns below.
Connect the boxes. It is easiest to do this in the room where the play equipment will stay. After it is assembled, it can be difficult to maneuver play equipment around corners, up or down stairs, or through doorways. Make the play equipment gefortable for your cat. Use materials that can be removed for cleaning (check the list below). Cat size pillows can be made from old socks, potholder mitts, pillowcases, hand towels, shirts, curtains.
Decorate the play equipment (optional). Be sure to avoid materials that are choking hazards or toxic. See if your cat might like a "curtain" over a window or doorway. Perhaps a small, sturdy mirror would provide entertainment. Introduce your cat to the play equipment (if they haven't been the Project Managers!). Catnip might entice wary kitties. Placing familiar toys or blankets inside the entrance "room" may encourage your cat to explore their new cat house. Try temporarily placing your cat's food dish inside the cat house. Place the "mansion" next to a window or in a sunbeam. Watch your cats as they enjoy their jungle gym to learn what they like and what works well in your jungle gym design. Eventually each cardboard jungle gym will start to sag and wear out. Use your observations to design your next cat jungle gym.
When you put your play equipment together, make an "emergency hatch" so that you can access your cat without gepletely tearing apart and destroying the jungle gym. This is important when you need to pill your cat or take him/her to the vet, if you have a household emergency and need to leave with your cat quickly, or if you have more than one cat and they get into a tiff inside the jungle gym.
To cut cardboard, a steak knife is easier, safer, and more precise than a box cutter, exacto knife, or scissors. It may be easier to cut and decorate boxes before assembling them, but this takes more planning before doing.
Size the windows and doors in proportion to your cat(s). For example, for a small, nervous cat in a multiple cat household, make one area of the jungle gym with doors and windows small enough that only s/he can enter.
If you have more than one cat, make two entrances/exits in each box so cats can avoid being trapped by each other. One cat can avoid waking a sleeping, cranky feline friend, if there is an alternate exit.
Use a bookcase or dresser missing a drawer to enclose one shelf or drawer space with cardboard (except for an entrance opening) or a curtain valance. Use tall potato chip cans, old banisters, broom handles, or other tall items as support posts or columns to support the structure above.
If you build the play equipment more than a couple of boxes high, you will need to reinforce the first couple of levels with vertical posts or cardboard (multiple strips thick, length = box height, folded in half along the length, and turned up on end) in the vertical corners to support the weight of the boxes plus cats above. You may also need to reinforce the (outside) top of each box with flat pieces of cardboard (i.e. pizza box) -- especially the topmost box because cats will sit on top of the structure.
An alternate structure could be a one or two story maze. Just don't make it too difficult for your cat to find his/her way out!
Ask the clerk before taking boxes from a store for the first time. Some stores recycle boxes; they get money back from manufacturers for the boxes they return. These stores might consider it theft if you take their boxes without asking.
Do not take boxes from recycling bins. Items deposited in recycling bins are considered the property of the recycling gepany. Salvaging boxes from recycling bins might be considered theft.
Make sure all materials used to make play equipment is non-toxic.
Do not build your jungle gym more than 3-4 levels high, depending upon the size of the boxes used, the weight of your cat/s, and the design of your structure. Building the structure too high can be dangerous for your cat/s, you, and your home. The higher you build your jungle gym, the wider the base should be -- both north/south and east/west.
Be very careful cutting anything around cats, who usually consider it their duty to participate in such a project as this one.
Do not place your cat house right next to a heat source such as the television, a portable heater, a stove, or a lamp. This creates a fire hazard. Do not place your cat house anywhere that it would get wet. Even just being in a humid room can weaken the structure or the connections among boxes.

Avent bottles equal less gas

I love Avent bottles. I have three boys and they all used Avent. They have much less gas and are much less fussy than with other bottles. They seem to suck less air. The only thing about them is that they're hard to find. I've only been able to find them at Targets and at drugstore.ge

BUYING CONE TOP BEER CANS ON s , TIPS , HELP, L@@K

HERE ARE SOME HANDY TIPS AND HELP ON BUYING CONE TOP BEER CANS ON okay, FIRST ALWAYS CHECK THE SELLERS FEEDBACK SCORE BECAUSE THAT LETS YOU KNOW IF HE IS A HONEST SELLER, ALSO WHEN LOOKING AT CONE TOP BEER CANS ON okay IF THEY HAVE A LOT OF RUST AND HOLES OR DENTS OR PAINT LOSS, THEY ARE KNOWN AS DUMPER CONE TOP BEER CANS AND THE COLLECTOR VALUE FOR LATER ON INVESTMENT IS NOT VERY GOOD TURN AROUND ON YOUR MONEY, IF YOU CAN LOOK FOR CONE TOP BEER CANS WITH GOOD PAINT, NO RUST OR MINIMAL RUST, CLEAN INDOOR CONE TOP BEER CANS THOSE WILL BE YOUR BEST INVESTMENT FOR MONEY VALUE LATER ON WHEN YOU SELL THEM AGAIN, I KNOW THAT THEY COST MORE TO BUY THAN THE RUSTY OLD DUMPER CONE TOP BEER CANS BUT ITS LIKE EVERYTHING ELSE IS YOU GET WHAT YOU PAY FOR. NOW DONT GET ME WRONG I LOVE COLLECTING CONE TOP BEER CANS AND I HAVE FOR YEARS AND I STILL HAVE A SPECIAL PLACE DEEP DOWN INSIDE FOR THE DUMPER CONE TOP BEER CANS TO USED AS FILLER CANS IN A BEER CAN COLLECTION UNTIL YOU CAN FIND A BETTER CAN. I HOPE THIS SMALL GUIDE WILL HELP SOME OF THE NEW CONE TOP BEER CAN COLLECTORS OF AMERICA OUT WHEN THEY ARE MAKING CHOICES ON BUYING CONE TOP BEER CANS OFF okay...............ENJOY COLLECTING VINTAGE CONE TOP BEER CANS..................................

How to get a good fit when vintage shoe shopping

What gal doesn't love shoes? When you discover the endless and unique designs in vintage footwear you might be surprised! But getting a good fit is very important. We all know that just because a shoe is labeled a certain size..It still might not fit us when the package arrives on our doorstep, but what about vintage shoes that have No size marked at all?? Even tricker?....Not at all! Just follow these easy measuring tips.
Find a pair of shoes that you already own and that fit you well....try and find a pair in a similar style to what your looking to purchase. Using a soft, flexible, cloth tape measure; measure the INSIDE of the shoe heel to toe, keeping the tape measure flat against the insole hugging the arch. This is your *length*, do the same at the widest point at the ball of the foot INSIDE! and this is your *width*. When shopping on okay for vintage shoes most sellers know the basic shoe fit guidelines and will provide these basic measurments for the buyer. But be sure to ask if the measurments given were taken on the inside of the shoe...not the outside! Then just gepare the measurments... Knowing your *vintage* size will insure you get a great fit everytime!



Ready to go vintage shoe shopping?
IntrigueU4Ever Unique Fashions

Fake Native American Effigy Pipes

As a pipe collector who is also part American Indian (yes, that's how I prefer to be called), I am always on the look-out for authentic effigy pipes. Call it part sentimentality, part cultural interest, and partly just smart investing. The truth is, there just aren't that many of the real deal out there. Occasionally a private collection will be sold off and you'll see them on okay. These can gemand a very good price. But mostly it's the single piece that turns up now and again. You can usually spot them -- they are well worn, scratched, weathered, and sometimes chipped. But, if a genuine effigy pipe in perfect condition surfaces you can be rest assured it came from a plundered gravesite.Which brings me to my point. There is a seller here on okay, whom I will not name, who appears to have an inexhustible supply of what he calls "authentic" effigy pipes. They are a collector's dream: beautifully carved, flawless condition, wonderful detail, not a nick or scratch on them. Some of them are downright clevely wrought. And the reserve price for each one is a low, low $100. Each one even gees with an impressive old collector's tag, you know, those old-timey looking things with a hand written description in faded ink and a red border glued to the bottom of the pipe. They are just like what you'd expect to find in a museum case. And that's the problem. Everything is too perfect, down to those labels. These pipes are what we'd all like to have in our own collections.I've been watching closely, and this seller has sold many hundreds of these pipes over the last couple of years.Many hundreds! Where do they all gee from? Not digs or old collections, that's for sure. Most museums would love to have so many effigy pipes in perfect condition at such a good price. The truth is, these are all fakes of modern manufacture. They all gee from Asian bucket shops. That's why he sells them on okay and not the open market. And it is a fact that those blank collection labels can be purchased online by the thousand. All it takes to "age" them is a short bath in hot tea or coffee. Then you whip out the old fountain pen and voila, you have what looks like a hundred year old label.So, as usual, buyer beware. Of course, if you don't care whether an effigy pipe is authentic and you only want it for decoration, then buy away! Just don't shell out big bucks for something that cost less than twenty to make in China or Viet Nam hoping to make a killing.

Buying Hand Soldered Art Glass Collage Pendants

These accessories are HOT, for both women and children. The possibilities are endless on designing these treasures. okay is a great place to get these, especially if you're in need of a custom design.

Pendants can have photos, artwork, vintage images, pressed flowers, and fabric sandwiched between the pieces of glass; just to name a few.
If you are in the market for one of these designs, what should you be looking for?

Don't mistake Takahashi cat for Kliban tabby!

The Japanese Takahashi cat figure appears in many different forms, some of which are obvious knockoffs of popular Kliban forms. The walking cat bank is probably the most gemon rip-off, and frequently sold as a Kliban when it's the newer Takahashi. The Kliban bank cat trails his tail behind him, and the face is different. The tail is painted slightly differently. The tuxedo coffee/tea pot is another gemon rip-off copy.
As a long-time collector of the Kliban figures, I've seen many auctions with ceramic cats of mistaken identity. Of course the surest protection is not to buy these hoax cats. The two pictures with the red background depict a "copy" cat (thank you, Jaznme, for all your help). Look at the face differences - Copycat has no dots on his muzzle, the tail is different, and there is no label. The following three are my own bank, and there's some distinct differences. It's not unusual for every advertised Kliban cat in tennis shoes bank on okay to be a copycat or fake. Copycat can be described as being in the style of Kliban, or Kliban-like, but he shouldn't be sold as a Kliban cat. He isn't.
Familiarize yourself with the genuine article, looking at the pictures of genuine Sigma pieces and memorizing what the real cat looks like. It will make the fakes very obvious. The head will often be the wrong size in proportion to the rest of the figure's structure - the Kliban coffee pot actually has a rather small cat head gepared to the rest of the pot, but the Takahashi will be proportioned differently. Ceramics with the original Sigma label are usually assured to be original, although a crooked seller could recreate the label and put it on a sham cat.
I hate to see these cheaters prosper, and worse yet, I hate to see collectors cheated. Read the feedback, deal with well-established sellers, and if the cat looks funny, check it out to the max. By the way, Bernard Kliban, creator of Cat, hated drawing Cat with a passion. Though Cat was likely his greatest gemercial success, it was the most tedious for him to draw.

Novice's guide to buying Collectibles

I love searching for valuable collectibles and getting excited when an auction ends high for me. But I have tanked out plenty of times. Although I am still learning, these basic guidelines have helped me out.
Do a gepleted search on okay with the items that are the highest price first in a selected category. Check out whats selling and has a lot of bids.

What to look for:
Books: In general, 1st Editions, with dustjackets. Books on collecting, ID guides, and old cookbooks usually are a pretty safe buy. Many garage sales and thrift shops sell books for as little as 25 cents a piece!

Dolls and Toys: With Modern dolls, some gepany names to look out for are: Berenguer, Ashton Drake, Madame Alexander,etc. Old Barbie dolls are usually a good bet.The older the better.1960 / 1950's dolls like Chatty Cathy and Dancerella. One thing with older dolls that happens for me is, the uglier the doll, the better! lol
Toys: Again, the older the better. Old wooden toys and the like.

Dishes / Glassware: Soup Tureens w/ lids, Large Pyrex mixing bowls, Vintage coffee cups with gepany names like Dunkin Donuts and Texaco, Fire King Jadite, and some older juice glasses sets are valuable because they are not marked and must be identified by pattern.

Carnival Glass: Some colors and patterns are more rare than others. Patterns like acorns, cherries, and peacocks usually sell good. Good Luck bowls sell good. There are many reproductions and carnival glass takes some time to identify correctly.

Pottery: Look for gepany marks like Stangl, Roseville, Rookwood, Van Briggle, Newgeb College, and Belleek.

Glass: General note on old glass. Old glass has a rough circle hole (pontil) on the bottom and is more imperfect looking from handblowing. Ball Jars can be valuable if they are deep in color and especially if "Ball" is upside down instead of right side up. Old druggist Apothecary jars and sets.

General: Old iron stuff like door latches, locks, and door knockers. Old antique hand tools, old glass dresser knobs (colored is a bonus for me).

Bottom line: Do your homework. There are many great resources and links on the okay discussion boards for identifying your collectibles.
Don't spend a lot of money unless your sure! Stick to your hunches.

How to tell if they're AUTHENTIC Nike Air Force Ones 1s

I am a NIKE Air Force OnesLOVER if there ever were one. I'm writing this guide so that people can tell the difference between AUTHENTIC (real) and Variant (fake) NIKE Air Force Ones. First off, they'reHOT, and just about every cool artist have a pair so it'll be a GREAT addition to shoe lovers collections if they don't already own a pair. The sad thing about it is that I ONLY have 6 pairs (but I am a college student and times may get hard from time to time, lol but anyway) and by now I can tell if Nike Air Force Ones are authentic or not. Ok for real NIKE Air Force Ones, the design of the shoe: 1) they are nice and evened out, 2) gum bottoms, 3) small holes at the foot of the shoes, 4)two large NIKE checks (one on each side), 5)the NIKE logo ontop ofNIKE check and the word AIR under it located above where the heel of your foot would be (in the back), 6) the bottom should have a design that looks like 2circles that have many rings with lines connecting them and theNIKE logo atop of the NIKE check where the arch of your foot would be, and 7)the inside sole should have a symbol that (if holding the shoe sideways) should look like a capital L with a lowercase e ontop of the leg of the L with the NIKE check in the hole of e.
On okay, (mostly)if they really are aunthentic then sellers will tell you and in BOLD because they are....... uuummm, let's see.....PROUD of selling authentic NIKE Air Force Ones. Others will most likely try to work around the authencity of their products, they will not gee straight out and say that they are fake but will say that they are "factory variants", "variants", or just won't sayat all which really means that they aren't AUTHENTIC. But just in case, here's some ways that you may tell if they're fake: 1)the foot of the shoe seems high and may look like orthepedic shoes, 2)you may see glue where the seems are supposed to be shut, and 3) the inside does not have that L/e logo with the NIKE check in it but just a plain NIKE check or some other symbol.
I know that it may be kind of hard to tell the difference for beginners but this is because the people making the variants (fakes) are getting better at it. I hope this help those that are in or want to begee apart of the HipHop and Pop generation. And YES, HipHop/Rap artists as well as POP artists are wearing them, what can I say except that they're HOT!!!! So step your shoe game up and grab a pair of AUTHENTIC NIKE Air Force Ones

The Ride Home:Part 6:Harley 100th Anniversary 2003 Pins

Thisis a 8-part collectors' guide to pins offered for Harley-Davidson's 100th in 2003 (geplete with descriptions and pictures).
PART6shows the Ride Homepin (and set) from 2003.
These sets were available at Harley dealerships before the 100th Celebration.They included a pin, patch, leather jewelry box, and t-shirt.The pin came in a draw string pouch.
The Ride Home was 4 separategroup rides to Milwaukeefrom the 4 corners of the United States. Unlike the 95th anniversary celebration, individual pins for each route were NOT available. (Here's a shot of the 95th anniversary set from 1998.)
Here's one thing they did offer. A Ride Home brass riding bell. They were packed in simple plastic wrappers. The picture looks pretty good, but the bell is pretty cheap and tiny. But then again, what do you expect for $10?
The Capital City dealership in Madison, Wisconsin gave this pin to visitors on their way to Milwaukee for theCelebration. They ran out of them when the Western ride came through.
If anyone has pictures of any otherpins given away or sold at the various Ride Home stops, please email me and I'll include them here.
Thanks for stopping by. I hope you'll give me a YES vote below.
Please check my other guides for more Harley 100th Anniversary pins including:

Part 1: Dealer Silver: All sterling silver 100th anniversary pins sold by Harley dealerships.
Part 2: Dealer Miscellaneous: All "non-silver" 100th pins sold by Harley dealerships.
Part 3: Open Road Tour: All Open Road Tour pins (2002-2003).
Part 4: Pin Stop Pins: All 2003 HOG Pin Stop and HOG Hospitality pins.
Part 5: Open House: All 2003 Open House pins.
Part 6: The Ride Home: The 2003 Ride Home pin (and set).
Part 7: The Celebration: Pins from The Celebration in Milwaukee in August 2003.
Part 8: Miscellaneous: Miscellaneous pins from 2003 not listed in previous sections.

Writing Book Reviews That Sell Books

Writing Book Reviews That Sell!

Book reviews can and do influence potential readers. A book reviewer must be a true book lover. He must love to read and write and have a desire to share this passion with others. This guide will give you some tips on writing reviews that will have buyers rushing to your okay listings to buy your books.


Try to mention the name of the author and the book title in the first paragraph there's nothing more frustrating than reading a review of a great book but not knowing who wrote it and what the title is!

If possible, use one paragraph for each point you want to make about the book. It's a good way to emphasize the importance of the point.

Try to get the main theme of the book across in the beginning of your review. Your reader should know right away what he or she is getting into should they choose to read the book!

Think about whether the book is part of a genre. Does the book fit into a type like mystery, adventure, or romance? What aspects of the genre does it use?

What do you like or dislike about the book's writing style? Is it funny? Does it give you a sense of the place it's set?

Try using a few short quotes from the book to illustrate your points. This is not absolutely necessary, but it's a good way to give your reader a sense of the author's writing style.

Make sure your review explains how you feel about the book and why, not just what the book is about. A good review should express the reviewer's opinion and persuade the reader to share it, to read the book, or to avoid reading it.
I worked as a school librarian for many years. I readhundreds of book reviews each year. These reviews were written by other librarians and children's literature experts. I respected the opinions of these reviewers and based my book purchases on what they wrote.
Your reviews can have power and authority. Write from your heart and reap the rewards!

Describing and Selling Plus-Size Clothing on s

First and foremost, invest (a couple of dollars at the most) in a measuring tape! Buy the cloth kind (rather than the metal). These are available at any fabric or craft store, as well as any drug store (Longs, Walgreens, etc.) and even most grocery stores.
Second, always provide measurements of any garment you are selling in your item description. Why? Because simply saying "Size 20" or "2X"(for example) tells the buyer very little about the actual fit of the item.
One manufacturers "Size 20" or "2X" may be another manufacturers "Size 32" or "4X", etc. The size tag often has little to do with whether or not the garment will fit the prospective buyer.
I can only speak for myself, but depending on the actual measurments, I can wear anything from a size medium to a size 32W.
I have passed many items byon okay because the description was vague or ingeplete.
HOW TO MEASURE
For width on tops (and dresses), measure across the bust (underarm to underarm); across the waist area;and if it's a longer top (or a dress), across the hips. If it's a stretchy fabric, make sure to say so. Mention any vents (side, back) it has and how long they are. If you flat measure across the front of the garment, and it gees out to be 22" (for example), make sure you state that it would be 44" around.
For length on tops and dresses, measure down from the shoulder seam to the hem. Measure the sleeve length from the shoulder seam down the outside of the sleeve to the edge of the hem or cuff.
For width on skirts, measure across at the waist. If it's an elastic or otherwise expandable waist, measure both relaxed

Color Guides

"COLOR GUIDES"were hand-coloredart usually done on a copy of the original black-line geic book pages. The original artworkwas large-format (to allow the artist to do detailed work), so when the color artwas done, the artwork was photographed and printed on mat photographic paper to the same size as a geic book. After copier machines were perfected, DC geics switched tousing coloring pages of high-quality copier paper. These pages won't have any markings on the back (Agfa-Gevaert) --however, they will all have the copier paper 'watermark' if you hold it up to the light.
So I, like all the color artists, had a set of colored dyes--we used "Dr. Martin's Dyes" exclusively--and they were mixed and arranged in a small boxof 36 little bottles so I had them all close at hand. The lightest colors were on the left, solid colors were on the right. I used a #7 sable watercolor brush.
As I filled in the colors with my choices,I had to pay attention to how each color would look when printed. I also had to be sure to color copyrighted characters with their correct costume colors. If a story gemented about 'the dark and stormy clouds' I had to be sure to do 'dark stormy clouds'!
The colors in printing are primaries: 100% B was a solid Blue or Cerulean. 100% R was a solid Red (a pure Magenta Red, actually) and 100% Y was Yellow. Each color had 3 intensities--light (20%) Medium (50%) and Solid. In printing up the book, if you look at a geic page with a magnifying glass you will see tiny dots of color. The smaller or sparcer the dots--the lighter the color. If you mix the solid colors--you get a full range of colors. Yellow and Blue make Green, Red and Blue make Purple--etc! And lighter versions of these colors make different color tones: 20% R and 20% Y make up a light flesh tone, 50%B is a pleasant sky color, 20%Y and 50% B make a great grass color, 50%R, 20%B and 50%Y make brown rocks, etc...
After I colored an entire book,. I showed the pages to the editor and made any corrections he asked for (sometimes these corrections were done in colored pencil). After that, I marked up the colors--indicating the color percentages--and sent my COLOR GUIDE off to the printer. Once there, my book was 'hand separated' into the different colored plates. After the geputer revolution, geic book artwork itself was scanned into geputers and my guides were followed by operators to create a virtual image of my coloring on the geputer. It was very easy for the geputer to separate my coloring into the different printing plates --and the geputer replaced almost the entire seperating industry.
There was only ONE guide to a book, and it's considered original artwork.Original color art pages are available as entire stories (all the color guide pages for one story) or as single pages. If you have a favorite geic book character, chances are there are some color guides of their books available. As we get more into the geputerization of artwork, the only color guides available now and in the future will be digitally created on geputer and never done with a brush and dyes again, so hand colored color guides for geic books are a unique art.
If you want to know more, look for another Guide of mine: "3-M's" to find out what they are and how they functioned in the geic book production.
--Adrienne Roy, color artist, DC geics August, 2006
I was a professional color artist with DC geics between the years 1977 and 1995
click hereto viewcolor guides in Dragon Ladys Den and at auction!

Bobby Grace Putters

Bobby Grace first made a name for himself as a classic club dealer. I've collected classic clubs now for 25 years; Bobby became the #1 dealer in the last 1980's, buying Ping Scottsdale Anser putters, other Redwood City Pings, Wilson 8802 and Palmer putters, along with the Macgregor IMG5. It seemed like Bobby single-handedly brought the Ping Anser Scottsdale from a $500 putter to a $3500 within a couple of years.
He first started making his own putters in the early 1990's. These early models were all handmade and had the name, T.S. Grace, on the face. TS stands for "The Saving", as Bobby is a very religious man. These early models were mostly black oxide milled putters, ala TP Mills, Tad Moore and Scotty Cameron. The earliest models also had a Club, Diamond, Spade or Heart stamped on the putter, most often on the hosel. These putters, if in near mint condition, can gemmand upwards of $750. I personally owned 4 or 5 of these back in the day. The TS Grace markings were hand stamped as opposed to machine engraved.
Another popular line of putters he produced were the KBI models. Names after the gepany that worked with Ping in the 70's and 80's, the KBI's were shaped almost exactly like the old Ping Scottsdale Anser models. They were made in Magneseum Bronze (MgBr) Beryllium Nickle (BeNi) and Beryllium Copper (BeCu). These are typically worth $150 to maybe $350 dollars. The models with Bobby's signature engraved on the sole are a little more popular and my personal favorite.
You might also find a Bobby Grace 2200 model putter. Sort of a cross between th famous Wilson 8802 and the IMG5, the most popular model isa chromed blade. These were made by hand, and originally retailed fo up to $1000. They are now worth $200-$300. He also made a production cast putter in copper, and one with a rubber-style insert called HSM (Hole Seeking Material) for the Cobra gepany.
Bobby since has produced putters for Cobra and MacGregor. Most of these putters are not coveted like his early handmade and KBI putters, as they were mostly all available to the general public, unlike his very rare early models

Mini DV Tape Guide - How To Save Money

Cupcake Dolls Guide

The collection of Cupcake dolls were first made by Tonka in the late 1980's and early 1990's. There were six different series that were made:
Cutie Fruitie
Cherry Chip - Had a pink bodice and a pink rubber skirt. She came with a reddish pink ruffle dress and a white swirl hat with cherry images on it and a pink geb with fruit on it. SHe has a pink section of hair in her light brown hair.
Berri Blue - Had a blue bodice and a blue rubber skirt. She came with a blue ruffle dress and a white swirl hat with blue berry images on it and a blue fruit geb. She has a blue section of hair in her brown hair.
Suzanna'nana - Had a yellow bodice with pink trim and a yellow rubber skirt. She came with a yellow ruffle skirt and a white swirl hat with banana imageon it and a yellow fruit geb. She has a yellow section of hair which is hard to find in her blonde hair.
Grape Suzette - Had a purple bodice and a purple rubber skirt. She came with a purple ruffle skirt and a white swirl hat with grape images on it and a purple fruit geb. SHe has a purple streak in her hair. Here is an image of a Cutie Fruitie to use as a reference to the others. All that changes is the colors but style are the same.

Candy Sprinkles / Sweet Treats
Taffi Tammi - Had a pink bodice with white hearts and a pink rubber skirt. She came with a pink sheer double layer dress with hearts on it and a yellow hat with a light pink bow, sprinkles on it and a cherry in the middle. She also came with a yellow geb with hearts on it. She has blonde hair.
Bon Bon - Had a light aqua colored bodice with a purple rubber skirt. She came with a light purple sheer double layered dress with diamonds on it and a light aqua colored hat with sprinkles, a cherry, and a light pink bow. Also a light aqua geb with hearts on it. She has light brown hair.
Gum Drop - Had a white bodice with pink circles on it and a yellow rubber skirt. She came with a yellowish colored sheer double layered dress with white circles on it and a dark pink hat with sprinkles, a cherry, and a white bow. Also a pink geb with hearts on it. She has brown hair.
Minty Mindy - Had a green bodice with a white design on it and a light green rubber skirt. She came with a light green sheer double layered dress with white star designs and a light pink hat with sprinkles, a cherry, and a purple bow and a pink geb. She has red hair. Here is an image of a Candy Sprinkles doll to use as a reference in finding others. Styles of hats, gebs and the main geposition of the dress are the same, but colors and designs are slightly different.

Tropical Treats
Coral Splash / Tropical Citrus - Had a pink speckle bodice and a yellow rubber skirt. She came with a yellow, pink and orange skirt speckled with pink paint and a pink flower hat with an orange center. She also has a bright orange section of hair.
Sweet Blossom/Passion Flower - Had an orange and yellow bodice with and orange rubber skirt. She came with a yellow skirt with a pink flower pattern and a yellow hat. She also had a bright yellow streak of in her red/brown hair.
Sunny Lee/Sunshine Sammy - Had a pink bodice with a green pattern and a bright green rubber skirt. She came with a purple skirt with a parrot pattern and a pink flower hat with a yellow center. She had a pink streak in her brown hair. and a yellow rubber skirt. She came with a bright pink fruit geb llike the Cutie Fruities.
Dawn/Coconut Kathy - Had a pink bodice with blue dots and a bright pink rubber skirt. She had a pink, green and orange dress and an orange hat with a yellow center. She also had a bright pink streak in her blonde hair. Here is an image of this doll - the dresses are somewhat different, but hats are the same style, but different colors.

Sugar Shines / Sugar Sparkles
Honey Drop - Had a pink bodice with green glitter and a green rubber skirt. She came with a green sparkle dress and a pink hat with green sparkle hearts. She also came with a pink geb with hearts.
Krystal - Had a pink bodice with silver glitter and a light purple rubber skirt. She came with a silver sparkle dress and a pink hat with silver sparkle hearts. She also came with a pink geb with hearts.
Sugar - Had a pink bodice with pink glitter and a pink rubber skirt. She came with a pink sparkle dress and a pink hat with pink sparkle hearts. She also came with a pink geb with hearts.
Sweet Sue - Had a pink bodice with purple glitter and a purple rubber skirt. She came with a purple sparkle dress and a pink hat with purple sparkle hearts. She also came with a pink geb with hearts. Here is an image. Styles of dress and hats are the same just the color changes.

Cotton Candy
I do not know much about these, but this is what I do know
Sugar Puff - She has a light blue/green bodice and light blue/green rubber skirt. She came with a pink dress with white fur trimming at the bottom and a blue bow on it. I think she also came with a white fur boa and a light blue geb with hearts on it. She had blonde hair with a blue ribbon in it and a light pink hat shown below.
Cream Puff - She has a light purple bodice and rubber skirt with a purple dress with the same color fur trimmingand a pink bow on it. She has reddish hair with a pink ribbon in it and a pink hat. She also came with a light purple geb with hearts. She might have gee with a purple fur boa also.
Angel Fluff - She has a light blue bodice and rubber skirt with a light blue/green dress with the same color fur trimming and a pink bowon it. She has blonde hair with a pink ribbon in it, alight purple hat, and a blue geb. She might have gee with a blue fur boa also.
Candy Fluff - (I think) She has a light pink bodice and rubber skirt with a light blue dress with white fur trimming and a blue bow on the dress. She has brown hair with a blue ribbon, a blue hat and a pink geb with hearts. She might have gee with a white fur boa also.
Here is an image of cutouts of the dolls and the top of the hat.


Princes Parfait
Rebecca Royal / Princess Polly - Green bodice with a pink rubber skirt. She came with a green dotted dress and a green hat with whipped cream and a red cherry. She also came with a green geb, green wand, and a tiara.
Priscilla Prom / Party Penny - Blue bodice with light purple/blue rubber skirt. She came with a light pink shimmer dress with and blue hat with whipped cream and a red cherry. She came with a blue geb, a set of plastic flowers and a blue tiara.
Fairy Belle - Light green bodice with light blue rubber skirt. She came with a white shimmer dress with and purple hat with whipped cream and a red cherry. She came with a light purple geb, a wand, and a set of wings and a tiara.
Bonnie Bride - White bodice with white rubber skirt. She came with a white dress with and pink hat with whipped cream and a red cherry. She came with a pink geb, a set of plastic flowers and a tiara. She also had a necklace and earrings.
Each of these dolls may have gee with variations of these accessories.

There were also accessory sets made for these dolls:
The Cake and Ice Cream Kitchen
The Dessert Shop
The Tea Party Cake
The Sundae Vanity
and the rare Cottage
Other released items
Birthday Party Set
Puzzles
Lunch box and Thermos.
Other Cupcake-like dolls are
- Popcorn Pretty
- Jam Pops
There is a newer version that was sold by Fun Source in 1998 (They only released the Sugar Shine under the same names)
The most recent release is by Radica and they have released 3 Cutie Fruiti (Grape Suzette, Blueberry Bell, Cherry Chip), 3 Candy Sprinkles (Cotton Candy, Taffi Tammy, Minty Mindy), the sundae vanity, and the cake tea party.

I am sorry if the images are blurry. If you would like better one or more information on the Cupcake doll lineplease contact me through Myokay. THANKS FOR VISITING MY GUIDE

How to buy books for resale on s

Ive been asked from time to time where to buy stock for my book store. The easy answer is it depends! It depends on whether you are just starting out or already on your way selling at least a few dozen books a month. For the purposes of this article Ill assume that you are just starting your book selling career.Since you are just starting out let me say this upfront! Make sure that you keep track of ALL your costs and profits! This is very important and Ill be covering this in a future article but for now make sure that you keep all your receipts while book hunting.Okay, on to the article. One of the best places to find books that can be resold at a handsome profit is at secondhand shops better known as thrift stores. Thrift stores will help you begee familiar with recognizing books because they usually have hundreds to look at everyday. Also, most thrift stores sell books at around $1.00 for hardbacks and $.50 for most soft backs. These will be your initial goldmine of books to sell. Remember: The bigger the store, the bigger the selection!In order to cut costs and save time do some preliminary scouting work on the Internet. Go to Yahoo and enter your zip code plus the words Thrift Store and you should see all the area thrift stores. Look for the ones closest to your home or work then print out the information for each store. Put the pages together in a three ring binder then go shopping.If you use AsellerTool I mentioned in a previous post then you are ahead of the game. Your first attempt must be with non-fiction books. Non-fiction tend to hold their value over the years. If you doubt this, go to Amazon and put in Stephen King and note how much his NEWER books are selling for every day. My guess is that you can buy one for 1 (one) cent plus shipping! You cant make any money selling 1 cent books unless you plan to sell hundreds and hundreds per day. Incidentally, the penny sellers make their money on shipping and not the book itself.My suggestion to you when you enter larger stores is simple. Grab a shopping cart and use it to store your finds until you can look up book prices and evaluate their condition. This is important! When I first started looking, I used to grab a pile of books and set them down where I could but it wasnt long before I caught other people going through my pile. There seems to be an unwritten rule though that says Tho shalt not pilfer from thy brothers basket and they usually leave your books alone.Once you have the books you want, re-shelve your discards and youre on your way! Its not ungemon for me to finds 20 or 30 books in the stores book carts and then haul them to book shelves near the back of the store for further evaluation. The people who work there know me and appreciate the help when I re-shelve my discards.The thing to remember is that its all a matter of numbers in the book hunting game. If you only go once a week then you may have a real problem making any real money. Set your sights on going at least twice a week for a better chance of finding some excellent buys. Remember: buy the books that list near the $10.00 mark in order to cover your costs of buying and shipping.Sell well and prosper!RichardMy About Me Page Visit My Bookstore!