Carpet Glossary of Terms

Winchuck River Store is now adding carpets to their website

so that customers can find almost everything to complete their home decor needs. We are choosing carpets that go well with Rustic Cabin Lodge Decor and much more! We even have some carpets to put into our Grandma's Corner Category. Grandmas can find that special item for their grandchildren!

Selling has always been seen as a responsibility that we feel very strongly about. We believe as sellers, we need to understand what we are selling.

Before we start listing the beautiful carpets that we have available, we must understand the terms and vocabulary used in the carpet industry. We need to know these terms not only for ourselves but so that our customers can buy as informed and knowledgeable buyers.

We are sharing just part of our research with you here on our blog. We made up a alphabetical list of all the terms we could find regarding carpet.

If you are looking for good prices and many choices, keep in contact as these carpets will be on our website soon. In the meantime, don't hesitate to call our toll free number 877-572-6451 or email us at karenclark41@gmail.com

I hope you find this glossary helpful. We would love to get some feedback from you. Let us know what else we can provide that would be helpful in creating your perfect home decor.

Antimicrobial
A chemical treatment added to carpet to reduce the growth of
common bacteria, fungi, yeast, mold and mildew.

Antistatic .
The ability of a carpet system to dissipate an electrostatic charge
before it reaches the threshold of human sensitivity

Attached Cushion
A cushioning material, such as foam, rubber, urethane, PVC, etc.
adhered to the back side of a carpet to provide additional
dimensional stability, thickness and
padding.

Average Pile Yarn Weight
Mass per unit area of the pile yarn including buried portions of the pile yarn. In the
U.S., it is usually expressed as ounces per square yard

Backing
Fabrics and yarns that make up the back of the carpet as opposed to the carpet pile
or face. In tufted carpet

Berber
A loop-pile carpet style tufted with thick yarn, such as wool, nylon or olefin. Often
having random specks of color in contrast to a base hue, this
carpet style has a full, comfortable feel, while maintaining an
informal, casual look. Currently, this term has expanded to
describe many level or multilevel loop carpet styles

Binding
A band or strip sewn over a carpet edge to protect, strengthen
or decorate the edge.

Broadloom
A term used to denote carpet produced in widths wider than 6
feet. Broadloom is usually 12 feet wide, but may also be
13 feet 6 inches and 15 feet wide

Bulked continuous filament (BCF)
Continuous strands of synthetic fiber formed into yarn bundles
of a given number of filaments and texturized to increase bulk
and cover. Texturizing changes the straight filaments into
kinked or curled configurations

Carpet
Carpet is a heavy fabric used to cover floor and made from a
variety of fibers

Construction
The manufacturing method (i.e., tufted, woven) and the final
arrangement of fiber and backing materials as stated in its
specification

Crushing
Crushing is irreparable loss of pile height caused by traffic or
weight

Cushion
Any kind of material placed under carpet to provide softness
and adequate support when it is walked upon. Carpet cushion
provides a softer feel underfoot and provides added acoustical
and insulation benefits and longer wear life for the carpet. In some

cases, the carpet cushion is attached to the carpet when it is manufactured.

Also referred to as "padding" or "underlay," although "cushion" is the preferred term. Cushion under most residential carpet should be a thickness no greater than 7/16"

Cushion (Padding)
Any kind of material placed under carpet to provide a softer feel
underfoot and longer wear life for the carpet.

Cut Pile
A carpet fabric in which the face is composed of cut ends of pile
yarn Loops are cut, leaving individual yarn tufts. Still one of
today's most popular constructions, its durability is achieved
with factors including the type of fiber, density of tufts,
and the amount of twist in the yarn.

Cut-Loop Pile
A carpet fabric in which the face is composed of a combination
of cut ends of pile yarns and loops

Delamination
Separation of the secondary backing or attached cushion from
the primary backing of the carpet

Denier
Denier is the amount of yarn per area of carpet

Density
Refers to the amount of pile yarn in the carpet and the closeness
of the tufts. In general, the denser the pile, the better the
performance

Dimensional Stability
The ability of the carpet to retain its original size and shape,
e.g. a secondary backing adds dimensional stability to carpet

Direct Glue Down
An installation method whereby the carpet is adhered to the
floor

Double Glue-Down
An installation method whereby the carpet cushion is first
adhered to the floor with an adhesive, and the carpet is
then glued to the cushion

Double-Glued Seams
Double-glued seams attach carpet to bare floor to prevent
delamination and edge

Face Weight
Face weight is the number of ounces of fiber per square yard
in the face of the carpet (not including the backing). The face
weight affects performance and durability. Face weight is
different from density because it varies with carpet height

Fiber
Fiber is the fundamental unit of carpet. Carpet fibers are made
from nylon, polyester, cotton, acrylics, wool, and recycled
material

Filament
A single continuous strand of natural or synthetic fiber

Flocked
Flocked carpet is made of tufts of wool or cotton fiber

Fluffing
Appearance on carpet surface of loose fiber fragments left
during manufacture; not a defect, but a characteristic that
disappears after carpet use and vacuuming. Sometimes called
“fuzzing” or “shedding.

”
Frieze
Pronounced "free-zay," this tightly twisted yarn gives carpet a
rough, nubby appearance.

Fuzzing
Hairy effect on fabric surface caused by fibers slipping out of the
yarn with wear or wet cleaning

Gauge
The distance between two needle points expressed in fractions
of an inch. Applies to both knitting and tufting

Hand
The tactile aesthetic qualities of carpet and textiles, how it feels
to the hand.

Heatsetting
The process that sets the twist by heat or steam, enabling yarns
to hold their twist over time. Important in cut pile carpet. Most
nylon, olefin and polyester cut pile carpets are heat-set

Carpet Construction - Fiber
Fiber is carpet’s basic ingredient. The type of fiber used and the
way the carpet is constructed determine how well the carpet will
stand up to spills, pets, and daily traffic. Approximately 97
percent of all carpet is produced using synthetic
fibers that are designed to feature style, easy maintenance, and outstanding value.

Indoor/Outdoor Carpet
A term synonymous with outdoor carpet

Knitted
Knitted carpet is formed by interlacing yarn in a series of
connected loops

Level Loop.
The pile loops are of substantially the same height and uncut,
making a smooth, level surface.

Loop Pile
Here loops are the same height, creating an informal look. This
style generally lasts a long time in high-traffic areas. Many of
today’s popular Berber styles are level loop styles with flecks of
a darker color on a lighter background. This is a good choice
for contemporary to cottage furnishings.

Luster
Brightness or sheen of fibers, yarns, carpet or fabrics

Matting
Matting is the usually irreversible adhesion of carpet yarn caused
by traffic or dirt

Memory
Carpet memory refers to texture retention

Miter Joint.
A junction of two pieces of carpet (or other material) at an angle.
Most miter joints involve pieces at right angles to one another
with their ends cut at 45 degrees to form the joint.

Needle Punched
Needle punched carpet is stitched into backing material

Nylon
It is the most popular and represents two-thirds of the pile fibers
used in the United States. Wear-resistant, resilient, withstands
the weight and movement of furniture, and provides brilliant
color. Ability to conceal and resist soils and stains. Generally
good for all traffic areas.

Olefin (polypropylene).
Strong, resists wear and permanent stains, and is easily cleaned.
Notably colorfast because color is added during fiber production.
Resists static electricity and is often used in both indoor and
outdoor installations because of its resistance to moisture and
mildew.

Pile
The visible surface of carpet consisting of yarn tufts in loop
and/or cut configuration. Sometimes called “face” or “nap”.

Pile Crush
Loss of pile thickness due to compression and bending of tufts
caused by traffic and heavy furniture. The tufts collapse into the
air space between them. This may be irreversible if the yarn has
inadequate resilience or the pile has insufficient density for the
traffic load. Frequent vacuuming will lift the pile for longer carpet
life.

Pile Reversal
Pile reversal or shading is a feature of cut pile carpet. Traffic
bends the carpet fiber in different directions creating an
impression of light and dark areas. Regular vacuuming can
create uniform shades

Pile Yarn Weight
Mass per unit area of the pile yarn including buried portions.
(Expressed as ounces per square yard.)

Pilling
A condition of the carpet face (which may occur from heavy
traffic) in which fibers from different tufts become entangled
with one another, forming tangled masses of fibers. Pills may
be cut off with scissors.

Plush
Luxuriously smooth-textured carpet surface in which individual tufts are only
minimally visible and the overall visual effect is that of a single level of yarn ends.
This finish is normally achieved only on cut-pile carpet produced from spun yarns
by brushing and shearing. Sometimes called “velvet-plush.”

Plush (Velvet)
Has a dense luxurious feel. Shows footprints and vacuum marks easily. Best for
low traffic areas and formal rooms

Ply
A single-end component in a plied yarn. 2. The number that tells how many
single ends have been ply-twisted together to form a plied yarn, e.g., two-ply or
three-ply.

Polyester
Noted for luxurious, soft "hand" when used in thick, cut-pile textures. Has
excellent color clarity and retention. Easily cleaned, and resistant to water-soluble
stains.

Power Stretcher
A carpet installation tool used to stretch carpet for installation with a tackless strip.
According to industry standards, residential carpet, installed over A cushion with a
tackless strip, must be power-stretched to prevent wrinkles and ripples

Resilience.
Ability of carpet pile or cushion to recover original appearance and thickness after
being subjected to compressive forces or crushing under traffic

Rippling
Heat and humidity can cause ruffles or waves in wall-to-wall carpet. A
professional carpet retailer or installer can re-stretch the carpet with a power
stretcher

Saxony
A cut-pile carpet texture with twisted yarns in a relatively dense, erect
configuration. The effect is well-defined tuft tips.

Seam Sealing
A procedure in which a continuous bead of adhesive is applied to the trimmed
edges of carpet to be joined at a seam. Seam sealing prevents fraying and
unraveling at the seam.

Seams
In a carpet installation, the line formed by joining the edges of two pieces of
carpet by the use of seaming tapes, hand sewing or other techniques.

Serging
A method of finishing edges of area rugs by use of heavy, colored yarn sewn
around the edges in a close, overcast stitch

Shading
A change in the appearance of a carpet due to localized distortions in the
orientation of the fibers, tufts or loops. Shading is not a change in color or hue,
but a difference in light reflection

Shedding
New carpet tends to shed for a few weeks after installation. Regular vacuuming
can resolve this problem. Shedding is more common in cut pile carpet and in wool
carpet. Synthetic fiber carpet (such as nylon) does not shed as much

Sisal
A carpet style mimicking the woven look of rugs made from a natural plant fiber.
The pattern has the appearance of interwoven webs but is created on a tufting
machine by continually adjusting the height of each pile yarn.

Snags
Snags can occur when an object tangles in carpet. Usually, you can simply cut
the snag with sharp scissors. If the snag is large, however, call in a professional
carpet cleaner, retailer, or installer to resolve the problem

Soil Retardant .
A chemical finish applied to fibers or carpet surfaces that inhibits the attachment
of soil.

Soiling
Soiling occurs when dirt particles build up in carpet fibers. Regular vacuuming
and cleaning will prevent this problem

Sprouting
Protrusion of individual tuft or yarn ends above the pile surface. May be clipped
with scissors.

Staple
Short lengths of fiber that may be converted into spun yarns by textile yarn
spinning processes. These spun yarns are also called “staple” yarns. For carpet
yarns spun on the common, modified worsted systems, most staple is six to eight
inches long. Staple fiber may also be converted directly into nonwoven fabrics,
such as needlepunched carpet.

Stitches
Stitches per inch. Number of yarn tufts per running inch of a single tuft row in
tufted carpet.

Stretch-in
Installation procedure for installing carpet over a separate cushion using a
tackless strip; properly performed with a power stretcher

Tackless Strip
Wood or metal strips fastened to the floor near the walls of a room containing
either two or three rows of pins angled toward the walls on which the carpet
backing is stretched and secured in a stretch-in installation.

Texture Retention
Texture retention or carpet memory is the ability of tufts to retain their
shape under traffic. Caring for care will help texture retention

Textured Plush
Most decoratively versatile. Textured surfaces help hide footprints and vacuum
marks. Add causal beauty to any room. Preferred style for busy households.
A great “whole-house” carpet

Tuft Bind
Force required to pull a tuft from the carpet.

Tufted
Carpet manufactured by the insertion of tufts of yarn through a carpet-backing fabric, creating a pile surface of cut and/or loop ends.

Twist
Twist is the winding of the yarn around itself. More twist improves carpet performance (especially in cut pile).

Twist

Carpet manufactured by the insertion of tufts of yarn through a carpet-backing fabric, creating a pile surface of cut and/or loop ends.

Twist Level
Twist level is the number of turns per inch of yarn

Underlay.
Carpet cushion under rugs

Waterfall Installation
Stairs are composed of a tread (the upper horizontal part of a step) and a riser (the upright member between two stair treads). Waterfall installation attaches carpet to two points on each step (one at the back of the tread and one at the bottom of each riser). This type of installation extends the life of carpet on stairs. When the carpet on the treads become worn, they can be taken up, reversed, and reinstalled with the worn areas placed over the risers

Woven
Carpet produced on a weaving loom in which the lengthwise yarns and widthwise yarns are interlaced to form the fabric, including the face and the backing

Yarn
Yarn is made of fibers that are twisted together to form a continuous strand

Yarn Count
Yarn count reflects the amount of yarn packed into a given area.

Yarn Ply
The number of single yarns twisted together to form a plied yarn

Introduction to Business

I recently received a copy of Introduction to Business by Laura Portolese Dias and Amit J. Shah. Laura Portolese Dias is a customer of mine. She bought some bedding from my website a few months ago.

She asked me if I would be willing to answer a few questions; which I did. She told me that she wanted to interview women who had a business for a book she was writing. Now I can claim to be published in a book! I am going to quote the book so that you will know about the person who is behind the web site: www.winchuckriverstore.com and the eBay Store by the same name, Winchuck-River-Store under the Seller ID of winchuckriverstore. Is that enough Winchuck River Store? I think so! I just want it easy for my customers to find me. I am now also using the address of www.rusticlady.com for those that have a shorter memory. I can relate to both having a short memory and being rustic!

Laura teaches Business at Shoreline Community College in Washington State. She lives in Seattle with her husband and two humane society rescue dogs. I can relate very well to Laura as we have four rescued dogs and two resued cats. I also live in the Pacific Northwest being about 400 miles south of her.

This is what the book says about me:

"Winchuck River Store

Karen Clark, a small business owner, runs a thriving rustic lodge and cabin decor eBay business and internet store right from her home, www.winchuckriverstore.com. Her story is one of determination and success. Clark found herself in need of a job after a divorce, which was a difficult situation for her because she had been a stay-at-home mother for the previous 16 years.

Clark had previously dabbled in selling antiques and had numerous volunteer experiences. She worked as an office assistant in the early 1980's when technology was different than it is now. She worked for a company that rented time shares and her job was to create files for new clients. Clark says that after she left that job, she didn't use a computer for a long time. After coming back to using one, she was pleased that they had become so user friendly. When she was once asked if she had fear of technology, she said she had no fear: " I look at technology as a 'dead' item. Nonliving things cannot hurt me, it isn't interested in hurting me so people should just go in there and figure it out. It doesn't recognize your failures, successes or have an opinion about you. There is no judgment to using technology other than the one you give yourself.

Clark says that without technology her business would not even be possible. technology helps her maintain her books, allows customers to virtually visit her shop and allows her to market her products, which include everything from lighting to antiques to kayak building kits."

It goes on to say the usual thing about how how technology in that it helps me get my job done well and the reward is answering only to myself.

I thought you might be interested in knowing about me in words that I don't usually use. I will take this book, read it cover to cover and hopefully boost my business by knowing more! I haven't the time to take a business course, but I can manage to still read between listings that need to be done.

I sold my first Meyda Light today! I have worked so hard getting those lights listed. I even figured out how to make a thumbnail click to a larger picture! I was amazed at myself. The lights are so very beautiful that I am proud to offer them. I am always willing to make special orders for my customers, giving them the best price possible along with changing out choices of metal or glass. You can see the possibilities on my Product Information Page.

Rusitc Decorating Made Easy!

A few of my eBay items - qsell

It looks like this form just needs to be much larger than necessary! I'll use it for blogging! I love rustic. I try to only offer decorating items in my eBay Store and on my Website that enhances one's ability to decorate in a rustic lodge cabin style. Often customers might be into another method of decorating, but still love the items I sell. Check us out. I bet you can find just what you are looking for! MUNKACSY Antique Lithograph Wine Cellar $189.99 Botanical Fern Ribbon Metal Wall Piece $6.99 Meyda Light Bell Shape Metal Folage Amber Shade NEW $162.00 Meyda LightTiffany Wildlife Green Glass Turtle NEW NIB $90.00 Meyda Light Easter Glass Rabbit NEW $85.50 Meyda Tiffany Light Landscape Glass Rustic Lodge New $247.50 Meyda Light Navajo Rustic Style Basket Arrowhead NEW $147.50 Meyda Tiffany Light Multi Colored Glass Tavern Bar NEW $191.30 Meyda Light Multi Colored Glass Peacock NEW $36.00 Meyda Light Tiffany Glass Blue Turtle NEW NIB $90.00 Meyda Light Pet German Shephard Dog Brown Glass NEW $139.50 Rustic Lodge Electric Metal Lantern Light w Bear NEW US $22.49 Little Ballerina in Pink Christmas Ornament US $5.40 Little Ballerina in Lavender Holiday Ornament US $5.40 Little Ballerina in Soft Pink Dancing Ornament US $4.50 Green Canoe Realistic Rustic Fishing Camping Ornament US $5.40 Red Canoe Realistic Rustic Fishing Camping Ornament US $5.40 Vintage Design Fishing Boat Cushion Cabin Lodge Decor US $33.30 Vintage Design Fishing Boat Cushion Cabin Lodge Decor US $33.30 Vintage Design Fishing Boat Cushion Cabin Lodge Decor US $33.30 Bark Covered Rabbit Set of Two Rustic or Easter Decor US $42.75 Faux Deer Antler Rustic Lodge Decor Candle Sticks Set 2 US $29.25 Faux Deer Antler Rustic Lodge Decor 18 Inches US $24.75 Faux Deer Antler Rustic Lodge Decor US $11.65 One Touch of Nature Cotton T Shirt M New US $15.30 Rustic Wild Pheasant Statue Home Decor US $36.45 Bark and Metal Rustic Lodge Cabin Style Vase 11 Inches US $14.85 Solid Brass Bear w Fish Shelf Sitter Rustic Lodge Decor US $25.20 Rustic Lodge Cabin Style Wild Pinecone Candle Holders US $21.60 Rustic Lodge Style Brass Bear Taper Candle Holders US $32.40

Free Quick*Sell Gallery from ISDN*tek

Writing HTML as a Old Granny

I learned to make clickable pictures yesterday. It is about time, huh? It wasn't that difficult. This blog is to encourage other folk out there who find themselves scared to face HTML to get their job done.

It is hard to type in HTML without it wanting to do it's job. I failed at putting the actual code here. Anyone know how to do that?

• You have to make the HTML go into a editing area like this where you have the choice of having two views like this blog has of edit Html and Compose.
• If you want to copy the clickable picture to where there is no ability to edit in HTML, just right click on the image in the compose view, copy and then past it where you want. I had to do this in my shopping cart editing on my website.

I did many of my listings on my website. Go to my website to the Lighting Pendants Category to see some of what I did. My customers can get a good view of what they might just want to buy and that is a good thing.

My montra is "NEXT" . Can you imagine now; me sitting crossed legged on the floor chanting "next, next, next" to get myself ready for facing this incredibly interesting internet world? I still have way too much to learn. You can read more about this on my eBay Blog that is found on My World Page. I wasn't able to insert the code into that blog either. eBay probably thinks that I am redirecting potential buyers to my website. That would also be a good thing, as Martha would say.

How to Save Your Planet

Green is finally something we think of often these days. Do you remember when we thought of as strange when we stuffed our children's waste papers in our purse and tried to buy only green items, or didn't buy plastic or styrofoam containers for our own use? Those days are gone! Thank goodness. I was strange for way too long!

I noticed on Ophra's website a list of ways we could save our planet. Now I know that we all know Ophra and maybe many of us go to her website, but just in case...I want to share that link with you: How to Save Your Planet. She makes a list of very simple steps that we can all think about doing. Even those of who don't care yet, could do these without any work on our part. They are easy steps that we could talk to our children about and maybe our neighbors and friends.

I'd like to see a pledge given between friends. Pledges often can work. I often find that if I pre-decide things then I don't have to think about it again. It just happens because it becomes part of me. I don't think about whether to be honest. It happens because I have decided that it is what I am. I am a green thinking person because I have decided that is who I am. No decisions need to be made. It is so much easier to work that way.

My friends came to know me for my cloth napkins that I used for years. I had oodles of them handed down from my great grandmother and filled in my needs with garage sale napkins. I have a drawer full of them. I use them all, iron them all at once and then start over. I iron like two times a year! I love the napkins because they are so I have never felt the need for paper napkins and find them inferior to cloth. How do you work that sticky stuff off your fingers with paper? I have a dear friend, Becky Cecil, who even bought me a book on how to fold napkins in hundreds of different fancy ways. She said that I was the only person she knew who used cloth napkins. For me, it was a simple statement made. I feel we must all make those statements to make our world a better place to be. It may not be a statement that helps us but it may help our future. What world do we want to leave behind for our grandchildren and their children? All that we do doesn't need to be just for us.

Meyda Tiffany Lighting

Winchuck River Store has found a new source of some incredibly nice rustic lighting. I managed to list some of their product that they have on sale yesterday. Listing is a very time consuming job, so it will take days not hours to get all our new product listed. I have put a picture here of a German Shepard that is very interesting. I imagine that only a German Shepard owner would purchase this lamp or maybe a Vet office.



Now, this Craftsman inspired lamp, is much more marketable because of the love we have for this style. It looks good in most homes, but especially in the casual rustic style that we promote on our website.



The company Meyda Tiffany, carries two lines that are completely our style of rustic metal and glass and sometimes wooden lamps for both the inside and outside. We will try very hard to get these listed in the next few days. Meanwhile, you can browse our website to see all the new product that we have listed. We also added a Decorating Idea page, where we will be putting pictures of our products used in many ways along with decorating tips that will help you understand just how to get the look you want. We would appreciate hearing from you as to what you would like for us to cover. Although Winchuck River Store is a selling venue, we would like to make it a place to go where we can share ideas and thoughts from not only our customers, but people who love the rustic. We might like to feature someone and their lifestyle. Think how interesting that might become! So, please communicate with us. Tell us your story and you just might become internet infamous!

Decorating for Spring

Winchuck River Store Introduces Spring

---

Easter is coming soon. It isn't too early to think about how you are going to bring in this joyous season when new life is about to emerge from a long winter's nap. We have made a slide show illustrating the use of 7 of our current products that can be used for an Easter display. I made up two of the baskets that I am giving to my Children to use for their family. I am sure that their children will enjoy having the spring celebration basket with Mr. and Mrs. Bunny standing nearby. I used a box of eggs, moss pad, bunny rabbits, duckweed twig basket, Easter ribbon and a happy bird to decorate with. All of the items are for sale on our website, www.winchuckriverstore.com.



I ran into a picture from a Magazine of a design by Martha Stewart that I believe we can re-create ourselves using a wooden or ceramic planting bowl, some filler such as paper or some sort of mounding material..it could be simply some clean sand and add some of our faux moss over the top of the mound. I know the moss in the picture appears to be the real thing, but some of us would rather have a non-organic version. We might have allergies or wish a cleaner option.

Easter will come and go, but you still have our duckweed and twig basket. What do we use it for now. Well, look how pretty some of our pears look in the basket! I also love the pears in my own metal basket. They never rot nor does my husband eat them faster than I can keep the supply re-stocked.

More is coming very soon, so don't forget to check back in. We would love to hear about your ideas and how you use our product or similar product. Just use the Contact button on the top of the page to email us.

this is a copy of the decorating page from our website

LOCAVORE Word of the Year in 2007

I received the following in an email today. I love to share such interesting and productive ideas to the world on the internet. It is something to think about, smile at our new word and maybe make plans to make our 2008 a year to ingest some healthy eating habits.

In this plate of food I see the entire Universe supporting our existence. Locavore is 2007's word of the year. The New Oxford American Dictionary chose locavore, a person who seeks out locally produced food, as its word of the year.

The local foods movement is gaining momentum as people discover that the best-tasting and most sustainable choices are foods that are fresh, seasonal, and grown close to home. Some locavores draw inspiration from:

<http://ucsaction.org/ct/-pwiOOd16SSq/ the 100-mile diet or from advocates of local eating like
http://ucsaction.org/ct/-7wiOOd16SS1/ Barbara Kingsolver.

Others just follow their taste buds to farmers' markets, community supported agriculture programs, and community gardens. Check out: <http://ucsaction.org/ct/GdwiOOd1bYAF/ Local Harvest to find sustainably grown food near you, and make a New Year's Resolution to be a locavore in 2008! This article was apparently written by: Thanks Margaret for sharing.

Margaret E. MacDonald
Western Organization of Resource Council
220 South 27th Street, Suite B
Billings, MT 59101
406.252.9672 ext. 208
406.252.1092 FAX

Looks Whos on Line

LOOK WHO'S ONLINE CO-OP OFFERS WEB SITE OPPORTUNITIES

Published: January 16, 2008

By Stacy Nadelman

Pilot staff writer

Not ones to let a good opportunity stay secret, Karen Clark, Jude Hodge and Bill Johnson have started a new organization to help Curry County businesses or online entrepreneurs promote their businesses – at no charge.

Their organization, Look Who's Online, is an advertising co-op with the only expense to members is the cost of advertising the co-op in local press, which will be divided among its members.

They will hold a meeting, open to the public, at 7 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 17, at the 360 Event Center, located at 15711 Highway 101.

"It's like a Yellow Pages in a way," Hodge said. "I think it's a service that's needed in the community.

Hodge sells Global Positioning Systems (GPS), manages her husband's business Web Site for Dave Hodge Cabinetry and owns Surfside Espresso at the port. She is currently a top ranked Platinum PowerSeller with eBay and has been published in Networking Times, Cutting Edge Media, Money, Makers Monthly, Net workers Advantage and is a contributing author in "Build it Big," a book published by Dearborn Publishing for Direct Selling Women's Alliance.

The idea came about when Hodge, read of an eBay class being offered by Clark. Hodge, a certified eBay educator herself, called Clark to discuss their common interest.

"Not many people do this locally," Hodge said. "I had to meet her!"

They met a few days later and talked about the need for more people with a "Web presence" in the area.

The most important thing they discussed, Hodge said, was the fact that they were both successful selling online and that there were probably others locally who sold their products on the Internet as well.

"But without a directory how does one know who is online?" said Hodge.

"The main thing we wanted, was to do this purely for networking," said Clark, who currently teaches eBay classes at South Western Oregon Community College. She's been featured in a book called, "Using Technology in Business" and manages two Web sites, one for Win Chuck River Store and the other, King Fisher Electric Boats. She also manages an eBay store.

Johnson, who was introduced to Hodge by Clark after attending Clark's eBay workshop, thought the idea of having an online directory for the Brookings-Harbor area was great. He joined the women, bringing his expertise in merchant accounts and they all spent a year formulating a Web site with the catchy name: LookWhosOnline.com. They then contacted the Brookings-Harbor Chamber of Commerce – and voila, they were in business.

"It's a way for brick and mortar businesses to market their existing Web sites," said Johnson, who's been an outside sales representatives, owned several businesses and been in mid management positions for two Fortune 500 companies. He currently owns Western Merchant Services, acting as a consultant for merchants who process credit cards at their location or on the Internet.

Look Who's Online is endorsed by the Chamber of Commerce. They are associated with the Chamber as a committee within the chamber, said Hodge.

"It's kind of like a Chamber of Commerce for online businesses," she said. "Our goal is to help everyone to become successful."

Clark, Hodge and Johnson will hold monthly meetings to teach anyone who is interested in becoming a member of the online co-op anything they need to know about advertising on the Internet.

One can visit the up-and- running Web site at www.LookWhosOnline.com.

For more information call Clark at (541) 412-0909, Hodge at (541) 251-2814 or Johnson at (541) 412-2780.

Adding Listings to My Website

Adding listings to my website

Whew! I have decided that in 2008, I will make the effort to get everything I sell on eBay will also be offered on my website. I have always found this double listing a big pain in the behind! Doing it over and over has finally made it easier to do. I have climbed over that humangous giant learning curve that only very mature internet users can appreciate.

I must've put in at least 50+ listings in the past two days. It does me no good to have all this stuff for sale and not offer it to every avenue that I have. Of course, I have to adhere to eBay policies and not advertise my website on my listings, but maybe someone will run into me on a browser. I make sure that each invoice I send to an eBay buyer has my website clearly posted on it with the information that I do offer FREE shipping on my website for most items.

At least I don't have to pay to list on my website so it is only my time that is spent. With my new expertise on double doing, I will continue to do each and every listing on both sites at the same time....well sorta the same time.

Open up these sites all at once on my computer:

• 
  open up either eBay or Turbo Lister


• 
  open up my photobucket sit


• 
  open up my listing site on my website


• 
  open up my excel sheet for inventory data

Then the process goes like this:

• 
  copy description from eBay or Turbo Lister item


• 
  paste description into the website listing place


• 
  take the thumbnail size picture address of item from Photobucket


• 
  paste it into my website place for that size picture


• 
  take the websize picture address of item from Photobucket


• 
  paste it into my website place for that size picture


• 
  check part number from excel


• 
  use that number for website identifier number


• 
  check price from excel sheet


• 
  use that price in my website

I can improve this operation. I haven't figured out how to use slide shows on my website. Maybe I can't, but I think it is possible...it should be.

I do know that when I have pictures put into the description area of my eBay listing, I can simply copy them over to the website.

If any of you have something to add to this to make the process simpler, I'm here ready to soak it up. I find doing this business in my home isolated from other internet users, I sometimes figure things out the wrong way. LOL

I am also using Turbo Lister to build listings for items that I do not offer on eBay. It gives me the space to do some changing of fonts, colors and to add pictures into the description area. I then copy and paste the listings into my website.

The Funniest Dog Story Ever!

Maggie our Terrier mix and Sadie is using Codie to rest on after their tummies are full and they need a much deserved nap

This is a pretty funny story that was emailed to me. I have a terrier mix dog, so the story was really funny to me. I can imagine my Jack Russell mix doing much the same! Enjoy!

We have a fox terrier by the name of Jasper. He came to us in the summer of 2001 from the fox terrier rescue program. For those of you,who are unfamiliar with this type of adoption, imagine taking in a 10year old child about whom you know nothing and committing to doing your best to be a good parent.

Like a child, the dog came with his own idiosyncrasies. He will only sleep on the bed, on top of the covers, nuzzled as close to my face ashe can get without actually performing a French kiss on me. Lest you think this is a bad case of `no discipline,' I should tell you that Perry and I tried every means to break him of this habiti ncluding locking him in a separate bedroom for several nights. The new door cost over $200.

But I digress.Five weeks ago we began remodeling our house. Although the cost of the project is downright obnoxious, it was 20 years overdue AND it got me out of cooking Thanksgiving for family , extended family, and a lot of friends that I like more than family most of the time. I was assigned the task of preparing 124 of my famous yeast dinner rolls for the two Thanksgiving feasts we did attend.

I am still cursing the electrician for getting the new oven hooked upsoquickly. It was the only appliance in the whole darn house that worked,thus the assignment.I made the decision to cook the rolls on Wed evening to reheat Thurs am. Since the kitchen was freshly painted, you can imagine the odor. Not wanting the rolls to smell like Sherwin Williams #586, I put the rolls on baking sheets and set them in the living room to rise for 5 hours.After 3 hours, Perry and I decided to go out to eat, returning in about an hour. An hour later the rolls were ready to go in the oven.

It was 8:30 PM. When I went to the living room to retrieve the pans,much to my shock one whole pan of 12 rolls was empty. I called out to Jasper and my worst nightmare became a reality. He literally wobbled over to me. He looked like a combination of the Pillsbury dough boy and the Michelin Tire man wrapped up in fur. He groaned when he walked.I swear even his cheeks were bloated.I ran to the phone and called our vet. After a few seconds of uproarious laughter, he told me the dog would probably be OK, however, Ineeded to give him Pepto Bismol every 2 hours for the rest of the night.

God only knows why I thought a dog would like Pepto Bismol any more than my kids did when they were sick. Suffice it to say that by the time we went to bed the dog was black, white and pink. He was so bloated we had to lift him onto the bed for the night.We arose at 7:30 and as we always do first thing; put the dog out to relieve himself. Well, the dog was as drunk as a sailor on his first leave. He was running into walls, falling flat on his butt and most of the time when he was walking his front half was going one direction and the other half was either dragging the grass or headed 90 degrees inanother direction.He couldn't lift his leg to pee, so he would just walk and pee at the same time. When he ran down the small incline in our back yard he couldn't stop himself and nearly ended up running into the fence.His pupils were dilated and he was as dizzy as a loon.

I endured another few seconds of laughter from the vet (second call within 12 hours) before he explained that the yeast had fermented in his belly and that he was indeed drunk.He assured me that, not unlike most binges we humans go through, it would wear off after about 4 or 5 hours and to keep giving him Pepto Bismol.

Afraid to leave him by himself in the house, Perry and I loaded him upand took him with us to my sister's house for the first Thanksgiving meal of the day.My sister lives outside of Muskogee on a ranch, (10 to 15 minute drive).Rolls firmly secured in the trunk (124 less 12) and drunk dog leaning from the back seat onto the console of the car between Perry and I, we took off.

Now I know you probably don't believe that dogs burp, but believe mewhen I say that after eating a tray of risen unbaked yeast rolls, DOGS WILL BURP. These burps were pure Old Charter. They would have matched or beat any smell in a drunk tank at the police station. But that's not the worst of it. Now he was beginning to fart and they smelled like baked rolls. God strike me dead if I am not telling the truth! We endured this for the entire trip to Karen's, thankful she didn't live any further away than she did.Once Jasper was firmly placed in my sister's garage with the door locked, we finally sat down to enjoy our first Thanksgiving meal of the day.

The dog was the topic of conversation all morning long andeveryone made trips to the garage to witness my drunken dog, each returning with a tale of Jasper's latest endeavor to walk without running into something. Of course, as the old adage goes, "what goesinmust come out" and Jasper was no exception.Granted if it had been me that had eaten 12 risen, unbaked yeast rolls,you might as well have put a concrete block up my behind, but alas adog's digestive system is quite different from yours or mine. Idiscovered this was a mixed blessing when we prepared to leave Karen's house. Having discovered his "packages" on the garage floor, we loaded him upin the car so we could hose down the floor.This was another naive decision on our part. The blast of water from the hose hit the poop on the floor and the poop on the floor with stood the blast from the hose. It was like Portland cement beginning to set upand cure.We finally tried to remove it with a shovel. I (obviously no one elsewas going to offer their services) had to get on my hands and knees with a coarse brush to get the remnants off of the floor. And as if thiswasn't degrading enough, the darn dog in his drunken state had walked through the poop and left paw prints all over the garage floor that had to be brushed too.

Well, by this time the dog was sobering up nicely so we took him homeand dropped him off before we left for our second Thanksgiving dinner at Perry's sister's house. I am happy to report that as of today (Monday) the dog is back to normal both in size and temperament. He has had a bath and is no longer tricolor. None the worse for wear I presume. I am also happy toreportthat just this evening I found 2 risen unbaked yeast rolls hiddeni nside my closet door.

It appears he must have come to his senses after eating 10 of them but decided hiding 2 of them for later would not be a bad idea . Now, I'm doing research on the computer as to:"How to clean unbaked dough from the carpet."And how was your day?~Author Unknown~

This reminds of the time I had a dinner party that I served a leg of lamb at. I put the left overs on the counter top while continuing our dinner conversation in the living room. The lamb was completely gone when I went to put it away. We had a guest dog and three of our own and didn't know who to blame. Needless to say, the next day's farts made it clear that our large male lab, Max, was the culprit. I sure loved that dog. He is buried out under the Aspens probably remembering that special day in his life!

Remember to put that food well out of the reach of your pets on Christmas Day! Chocolate can make them sick and sometimes even kill them!

FAST Shipping for Christmas!

It isn't too late to find that perfect gift for a family member or friend. If you order today, I can ship tomorrow, December 21. Priority Mail will get it to you in two to three days! Look our listings over to see if there is something special that you would like to purchase.

We have incredible feedback. See some of our current feedback below:

		Great transaction. Thanks very much!!! A+++	2007-12-18
		fast delivery and smooth transaction	2007-12-16
		Prompt shipping, well packed, super, fantastic, wonderful seller. Thanks you!	2007-12-15
		Great eBayer! Rec'd super fast.	2007-12-14
		I am thrilled ---fast service---great product A+++++++++++	2007-12-13
		WoW! Great Sweatshirt! Fast Shipping! Smooth Transaction! A++++++ebayer!!	2007-12-11
		super fast shipping , good to buy from	2007-12-11
		Terrific ebayer!!! Excellent quality, great communication-top notch! Thx! A+++	2007-12-10
		super fast shipping, beautiful dragonfly thanks!!!!!!!!!!!!!!	2007-12-09
		Excellent transaction. Fast shipping A++++ seller!	2007-12-08
		Wonderful seller! Great communication. Ornament is adorable. Thank you.	2007-12-07
		AAAA++++++	2007-12-07
		Fast service - awesome product! Thanks!	2007-12-06
		WOW! Great seller, fab item, & super fast shipping! Everyone should shop here!!	2007-12-04
		Thank you much for the fast shipping, good communication, & overall great buy!	2007-11-30
		Beyond what I expected!!!!!My Best Purchase on Ebay.....period!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!	2007-11-30
		Fast, easy transaction. Thanks !	2007-11-29
		absolutely beautiful huge throw. Thanks	2007-11-21
		Quick delivery. Thank you!	2007-11-12
		quick shipping!	2007-11-05
		Got it. Thank you !	2007-11-05
		Excellent trasaction. Plate was just as decribed. Thanks. A+	2007-11-01
		Excellent ebay transaction. Very nice quality merchandise. Thanks much!!!	2007-11-01
		thanks	2007-10-29
		A+++	2007-10-29
		EXCELLENT TRANSACTION!!!!	2007-10-26
		EXCELLENT TRANSACTION!!!	2007-10-26
		EXCELLENT TRANSACTION!!!	2007-10-26
		AA++++	2007-10-18
		excellent transaction	2007-10-17
		works great fast shipping	2007-10-16
		I acutally want to weed my garden! thanks	2007-10-16
		Excellent seller, quick shipping, safe packing, highly recommend	2007-10-12
		Among the best, would definitely buy from again. Quick, painless transaction	2007-10-12
		As described, thanks.	2007-10-10
		Arrived in great packing today. Will check you out again.	2007-10-06
		item arrived quickly and was exactly as described	2007-10-06
		item arrived quickly and was exactly as described	2007-10-06
		item arrived quickly and was exactly as described	2007-10-06
		love it- fast delivery: thanks	2007-10-02
		The Museum Says Thank You.	2007-09-24
		great item pack well easy transaction an A+++ for e bay	2007-09-24
		just perfect thanks for shipping so fast	2007-09-23
		aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa+++++++++++++++++++

We will be happy to have you as a customer! Happy Holidays and Enjoy Shopping at Winchuck River Store, where we celebrate the lifestyle of the Pacific Northwest!

Soles 4 Souls

Let's Get A New Pair of Shoes For This Person!

I know that most of us have this over whelming urge to rid ourselves of extra belongings right after Christmas. It must be in our DNA to suddenly get the urge to clean the closets, empty the drawers and go through our garage searching for un-used and not needed items. I was a small child when I first found the urge to purge right after Christmas. Is the over abundance of stuff we acquire with Christmas putting us over the top? I think that is probably the logical answer.

I found this wonderful internet site http://www.soles4souls.com/



They have a simple mission: to impact as many lives as possible with the gift of shoes. They are partnering with charities and governments around the world to provide a basic (yet indispensable) gift that most of us take for granted. You can help them in many ways: donating your own shoes, donating cash for freight, hosting a shoe drive, or even donating your time as a volunteer. As shoe industry professionals, they are working hard to use the resources at their disposal to make a difference -- but they need your help (and your shoes) to reach out to the world.

When you are going through your closet, check out the shoes. I bet you have several pair that rival the shoes being worn by many in the world today. Check out the picture that I got in an email this week to spread the word that we must be thankful for what we have instead of always wishing for more and better.

Happy Holidays! I wish you the best for 2008, but I also wish the best for the world in 2008. As a citizen of the world, we can all do one small thing to reach out to make our world a better place. There are many small ways we can help:

• Next time you buy a can of beans, buy one extra and deliver it to the local food bank
• If you sell for a living, set aside a portion of each sale for charity. One penny from each of us could amount to feeding a hungry family.
• Take your elderly neighbor with you the next time you go shopping. It may be the only time they get to go! Remember that you will be old some day sooner than you think!
• That puppy running loose on the road is likely to be killed. Pick it up and deliver it to the local shelter. His owner will find him or he might just find a good home and have a second opportunity for life.
• Join a local toy drive. It isn't too late to buy an extra toy for a hopeful child.
• Visit a nursing home to spread some joy. Older people love company! Company doesn't cost you anything!
• Next time you are planning your future, think about how it will impact the younger generation.
• Plant a tree and feel good because it will give shade to those that come after you.
• Make a new friend with someone that isn't just like you. What a surprise when you find out how much you do have in common with others that you have previously not bothered to know.
• Remember that random acts of kindness can move mountains and maybe even stop wars!
• keep this list going. I'm sure you and your family could add many ideas to this list. Things that would take minutes of our time.

The world cannot get better if we never give it our time and consideration. We are not islands living alone. Everything we do and say impacts those that share our space. Each day is like a page in a book. We all create a page each day. Whatever we do that day should be something we would want to be remembered. I wonder what we would write on our page for each day if we realized that our book would be published for the world to read! Your book will be read. Your immortality can be what you leave behind good or bad. Our lives can be like a meaningful piece of literature that impacts us to remember the contents or it can be like a cheap romance novel that is read and soon forgotten.

Winchuck Carrot Cake Recipe Best of the West

My Carrot Cake Recipe For You

Happy Holidays

Winchuck River Store

http://www.winchuckriverstore.com/

Winchuck Carrot Cake

Serves Approximately 50

This cake never fails to please the crowd

12 eggs
3 1/2 cups vegetable oil
6 cups sugar
6 teaspoons vanilla extract
6 cups of flour
6 teaspoons baking powder
6 teaspoons baking soda
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
6 teaspoons ground cinnamon

9 cups grated carrots

3 cups chopped walnuts or pecans

3 cups of crushed or pineapple tid bits

Frosting:

1 1/2 cup butter, softened

24 ounces cream cheese, softened

12 cups confectioners’ sugar

3 teaspoons vanilla extract

1 cup chopped walnuts or pecans

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees and grease and flour three 9x13 inch pans or use a large commercial pan.

In a large bowl, beat together eggs, oil, white sugar and vanilla.

Sift together the dry ingredient - when I have chosen not to sift, I find the baking soda doesn't always blend in. There is nothing worse than finding a lump of baking soda!

Mix in flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt and cinnamon to the eggs, oil, sugar and vanilla.

Fold in carrots

Fold in nuts and pour into pans.

Bake in the preheated oven for 40-50 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean. Let cool in pan for 10 minutes or more then turn out if desired onto a wire rack and cool completely cool. Since I use a very large pan, I bake it a bit longer and if I remove the cake from the pan, it is frosted and cut into pieces. I usually make this recipe for serving a crowd. The crowd loves the cake still in the pan!

I have made a wedding cake from this recipe and removed the cakes from their pans to stack in three graduated layers. I covered the frosting with eatible flowers or you could make your flowers from cake-decorating frosting.

To make frosting:

In a bowl combine butter, cream cheese, confectioners’ sugar and vanilla. Beat until smooth and creamy. Frost the cake and sprinkle chopped nuts on top.

I do not usually make the full recipe for the frosting as I find only about 1/2 of the above ingredients covers the commercial baking pan that I use. My pan measures 13 x 21.5 x 2.5 deep. I am not so careful with measurements. This cake is very forgiving when it comes to pineapple, carrots, nuts and frosting used.

I grate my carrots using a food processor; which makes the process so much easier than a hand grater! No more grated knuckles! For my Christmas in October Open House I used whipped cream cheese for the frosting. It made the frosting go together easier than using the boxed cream cheese.

I have also successfully increased the ingredients to make a larger amount to the commercial pan plus a 18 x 11 x 2.5 deep pan.

To increase the recipe, divide the ingredients by 3 and increase adding 1/3 of the recipe.

I could also see increasing the flour to make a cookie recipe. If any of you try this, let me know how it works out!

This is my Holiday Gift to You!

Enjoy!

Everyone will tell you that this is the best carrot cake they have ever eaten!

Happy Thanksgiving

Good morning on this special Holiday! I am about to go to the kitchen to cook the turkey, but I just had to spin in my computer chair with this special greeting!

Boogalamoon day to you.....my favorite foreign word is turkey in Farzi! I don't know how to spell it, but it is pronounced boog a la moon. We have goble goble...they have a boogalamoon.

Have a wonderful day with your family and friends. We are actually spending the first Thanksgiving ever alone! Can you imagine that? I am making this a day for giving thanks for our health, our safe harbor and the blessings we do have. We will eat our turkey without the crowd we are used to. It will be somewhat sad (well, very sad) but life isn't always fair.

I will have time to work on my filing and possibly take a good long walk in the woods. It is a glorious day here on the Oregon Coast.

eBay Shows Off Shipping Deals To Holiday Shoppers

eBay is changing the way shoppers see the shipping costs for items for sale. The buyers will no longer use the price sort option in search results. The buyers can now see Price + Shipping in most categories. eBay is now organizing search results by the item's price plus the cost of the shipping and handling.

Wow!! It is about time that it will be easier to see the total you are actually going to pay for an item. I think this change will only help those of us sellers who choose to charge actual shipping charges along with minimum handling.

Along with this change eBay is also can search exclusively for items that offer one of three options:

• Free
• Thrifty
• Expedited Shipping

This page will let the shoppers know that eBay has combed eBay to find the best shipping deals so you can focus on shopping not shipping. You can find more about this on http://pages.ebay.com/shippingdeals.

I think it only tells me very loudly to go into my eBay Store to change all shipping to FREE.

Sharing Holiday Gift Ideas

For everyone's convenience, I have decided to start my blogs with my eBay Store. After all, it is fast approaching the holiday season! I can notice the difference in sales recently. Buyers are finding just the right gift for their friends and family.

I am a nut for browsing magazines and books to find new products and things to make. I do this after a day of listing on my website or on eBay. It doesn't take too much brain power because I want to let you know, my brain is dead after a full day of internet work! I often have my doctor's office make a copy of a certain page and I gather old magazines from our local library. I then take the articles and pictures I want. I must take at least 10 publications myself and do the same. Browse, rip, browse, rip and then recycle. Today, I will share some of what I have found hopefully helping you get some gift ideas to purchase or something to make.

• Lauren Bush and the United Nations World Food Program has a really cool feedbag selling for $50.00. It helps feed children in developing countries around the world. You can see a picture and purchase the bag at www.worldfeedbag.org. In the same venue, The American Red Cross has a new line of retro 1930's looking T-shirts. I especially like the one that reads, "Handle With Care". Go to www.redcrossstore.org to see their complete selection of fun and altruistic gift ideas. I found these ideas in Country Home Magazine.

In that same magazine I found some cool junk gift ideas or even for your own home:

• They took three fluted metal pans that sell for about $3.00 each or 25 cents at a yard sale. They took a large nail to punch three holes evenly spaced around the edge of each tin. You then prime the tins, then spray paint with your favorite color. You then attach a small chain with "S" hooks through each hole, squeezing the hooks shut with pliers. Gather the chains at the top with your larger "S" hook and hang from the ceiling. This is great for fruit, veggies or even a collection of grapevine balls, sea shells or another treasure. I can see it spray painted then sponged with a contrasting color to give it an antique look. I'd like to see it just sponged with that liquid that makes your metals look all weathered and green. Why couldn't you even put one by your kitchen desk to hold all those small office what nots that get spread out all over the place?

• Being into rustic, I especially loved their idea of using vintage bisquit cutters (those usually have a green or red wooden handle. You take a jar lid and metal glue it into the cutter. Use these new lids to cover jars of tea or dried spices and even a jar of nuts. I know I have some of those cutters in my bin of cookie cutters that I have collected for the past 40 years! Wow! I sure don't make many bisquits.

• I also ran across a lovely bird house to decor perfect because I have lots of sticks! You buy a birdhouse from a craft store or find one at a garage sale then gather a bunch of sticks. Using a handsaw or pruning sheers, but branches or thick vines no larger than 1 inch in diameter. the legth of each depends on the size of the birdhouse you buy. Attach the twigs using hot glue. Layer and overlap to be creative. Secure twigs with nails so that when you put the bird house outside, the glue won't leave you twigless! Make sure the nails are short enough not to protrude into the bird's house. Take one or a couple of U hooks and nail them to the back of the house and thread a wire through each. You can then attach it to a post or fence. Wouldn't a collection of these be great on your back fence! I'd like them attached to my pump house. This is even a project fine for kids....well be careful with the hot glue!

• Want a really inexpensive project? Take some of those plastic thubtacks that come in multiple colors and then search out your button box. Find the really neat buttons that you no longer know why you saved them and take some Gorilla Glue to the tops of of the thumbtacks, place the button and let dry.

A few years ago, a friend gave me some of these that she created. I remember opening them and being so pleased to get such a nice pretty gift. I use them on a cork bulletin board attached to my desk right here where I am typing. I have sissors hanging from one, my watch from another and a list of birthdays on a small calendar sheet held in place with a lovely crystal button covered thumbtack.

• Did you know that you can take one of your vintage lunch boxes, fill it with sand and then put in some candles? Wouldn't the kids love to create a winter scene in one of these lunch boxes? I think so. I can see white sand looking like snow, or sand covered with artificial snow, red and green candles and some of those small figurines that go with Christmas villages to place for an action filled holiday scene. My children would have had a hill with a sled going down, a little pine tree and maybe even some deer or dogs...a couple of small candles to light and wow! You have Christmas on the table that the children can claim as their own. Kids do love to be an important part in decorating the house!

I promise to go through my treasure box of magazine articles again to share with you some great fun ideas that don't take too much work. I have no time, but I love to create. I imagine most of us suffer from the same problem of no time!

Don't forget to check out my husband's electric fishing kayak. I know, it takes time to build a kayak, but it is fun to see and just maybe it would fill a need for just that perfect gift. www.jimskayak.com . You can buy the plans, the kits, or a finished kayak.

Trying New Ways to Introduce Rustic Decor!

eBay has come up with some innovative ways to let us give viewers an opportunity to see our store that might not otherwise find it. I have now posted all the contents right here on this blog for all to see.

I am excited about this Christmas selling season as I have already put into action a Christmas in October Open House in conjunction with 3 other business women in my area. We are giving a percentage of our sales to "His Haven of Hope"; which is a program for homeless women and children here in Brookings, OR. Along with giving some money to them, we have also given out a list of needed items that we are providing a barrel to fill so that we can provide some of their basic needs like toliet paper, canned veggies and coffee.

I have also been busy listing on eBay being careful to fill that catagory: Holiday Gifts! I am still concentrating on high quality rustic decor that celebrates our lifestyle here on the Southern Oregon Coast.

I have also recently joined our local Chamber of Commerce and will soon have a link to their website. We are forming a committee within the Chamber for website owners in our area for the express purpose of letting everyone know we are here and eager to do business with the local community. We have already purchased the domain name, lookwhosonline.com that the Chamber will let us use. We needed to join with an existing non-profit group so that we would not have to run this group on our own. We have four founding members. We all have websites with no time to collect money, run advertising campaigns and counsel people on how to do their business. This will be a self help committee within the Chamber so that we can all meet together speaking our particular form of "English"; which others cannot understand and hopefully grow our individual businesses.

I am back teach eBay Basics at the local Southwestern Oregon Community College (SWOC) here in Brookings. This is always fun for me. I swear, I learn more each class than do my students!

I hope you enjoy visiting my store with this new link! If you have any comments, please leave them. I'd love to get some feedback...good or bad!

Karen

I have become a Computer Geek!

This the front of the postcard I made for Kingfisher Electric Boats. The fisherman is Bob, Jim's twin that lives in Mt. Home, Arkansas. He fishes Bull Shoals Lake near his home. He came for a visit and of course the twins had to get on the water together. One of their earliest pictures is of the two all dressed up holding a fishing pole.

I managed to create a web page for Jim's Kingfisher Electric Boats business! I struggled for days, but finally got it up and running. I used the brains of my smartest friends to improve my beginning efforts. Thank you John, Jude and Jeff for your time and thoughtful comments! You can find Jude at http://www.gpsspecials.com/ . She has been in the internet business for about 15 years and can rattle off ideas and suggestions like water off a ducks back! Jude is amazing!!!

The link to the website is: http://www.kingfisherelectricboats.com/. I also bought a site, http://www.jimskayak.com/ so that us with limited memory might be able to find the site. So far that link isn't finding the site unless you go up at the top and put in http://www.jimskayak.com/. Hopefully enough of us will be using the shortcut to get it to come up in your Google browser or whatever you use. I think maybe I should get the URL name, kayakguy.com if it is available.

We have nearly 100 hits that I can see so far. That is good. Jim is getting nervous about getting so many orders that he will be a full-time boat builder without a life outside of the shop! Jim and his daughter, Lynnette, are going up to the Wooden Boat Festival in Port Townsend, WA for Sept 7-9. We should get some great exposure up at the festival. I got them both a t-shirt advertising the business along with new business cards, magnets and even some postcards.

I now have to find matching PFD's with pockets that will hold all the literature! I have become the computer geek, advertising manager and now fashion coordinator for the new company. Sometimes, I have to have a glass of wine to turn myself into a regular human being so I can watch some TV and stop thinking...thinking.....and thinking more. Now I know why those software guys walked around looking less than normal back in the days that I used to work at one of those corporate jobs.

So now we are a two website family. Retirement has turned out to be much more involved than I ever imagined. I remember when I thought I would do wiz bang craft projects. When was that???

I sure would like to get feedback from all of you, so lay it on. I really benefit from hearing the thoughts of others.

1. Tell me what you think of the site
2. what you think of the kayak
3. what ever else you think.

I've used every key word I can think of and what the computer programs tell me like: electric fishing kayak, wooden kayak kits, wood kayak plans, fishing kayak and the list goes on. Do you have any key words that you think I should be using?

And, if you are struggling to create a website, I might be able to help.....a bit. I am far from a wiz kid, but I will share what I know or think I know. LOL It would be a volunteer job and you can't fire a volunteer!

I'll be back later with maybe

• help picking the right dog for the family
• what to do with 500 lbs of tuna
• maybe how to can apples

Jim and Lynnette brought home about 500 lbs of tuna from the sea, we do have the four dogs which makes me a mini expert and the apple and peach trees are full of ripening fruit. Later...