Wednesday, April 30, 2014

What a find! For Mother's Day!


This is such an exceptional find, I just had to share it!!
 

~ Mother's Day ~

¾" PIN BACK BUTTON
Made By The
Sunday School Publishing Board in
Nashville, Tennessee
mother1.jpg (59396 bytes)
Here for your consideration is a super Pin Back Button...Look at the picture & compare it to the dime beside it.
This button is as the picture shows...
mother1.jpg (59396 bytes)
Early Pin Back
Features White Carnation on Celluloid Front...
Haven't attempted to clean any of my buttons.
mother2.jpg (58651 bytes)
Made by S S Pub Board Nashville Tenn
Sunday School Publishing Board, Nashville, Tennessee
My research revealed that the last report from this publisher was in 1914--the year that Mother's Day was formally announced and made legal by President Wilson. I think that is quite interesting, don't you. Here is the link where I found that info.
And another Note:
Please note that this was a BLACK Church Publisher...affiliated with the BLACK Baptists.
So, this pin is from 1914-- or EARLIER--It could be from 1912-1914!
Wow.
So this is a super cross-over collectible item, and could be quite rare...I know, I grew up with antique dealer parents, and I have been dealing stuff my entire life, and I haven't seen a lot of these.
I attempted to photograph the mark in the above picture.
I am selling my collection of buttons...look at my auctions for neat, interesting & unusual ones...
 
So, check out Classic_Chloe's store! She does such a remarkable research on her pieces!
 
And, as always, check out the other stores on OnlineAuction.com. Great sellers, great values and great items!

Tuesday, April 29, 2014

A Cup of Tea

We are a little chilly here, in Iowa. The weather has been fickle and our warmth appears to be gone for awhile. The rain has been falling slowly and steadily. For that I'm grateful as it could be violent and we have been blessed here with fairly calm weather. My heart and prayers go out to those who have not been so fortunate.
 
But it is a little cool, today. Good for a cup of tea!
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

 
We have lots of things all ready to go here on OnlineAuction.com! Lots of teapots to choose from, plain or fancy.
 
I just bought a new one (vintage Shawnee) from RoundPrairie2 so I am happy!! Take a peek!! Doesn't it look good with the other Shawnee items? These were my mother-in-laws so they are special.
 
 
So, check out the stores on OnlineAuction.com. We have lots more to offer . . . and most Moms love that time to sit back, put up their feet and enjoy that cup of tea! (hint!!) 
 


Friday, April 25, 2014

Time Out For KITTENS!

One of the best things about living at an animal sanctuary is playing with kittens. We foster at least one pregnant mama every year. This time, she’s a beautiful medium-long haired lynx-point Siamese mix. Coco is only a year old with a sweet disposition. She’s a great mom, and already spoken for when the babies are gone.



Now for some trivia: A female dog is a bitch. What do they call a mother cat? (The answer is at the end of this post.)

Coco gave us 4 gorgeous, healthy babies, on April 7. Here she is with the babies when they were only a day old.


Here are the babies when they were just starting to open their eyes.



Now they're 18 days old. They're starting to take a little interest exploring, but they haven't figured out how to use their legs, yet.


Coco and her family are guests at the Love Your Pet Expo Sanctuary for Special Needs Animals. The extra nutritious food we're giving Coco costs over $2 per day. Donations are always welcome.

Love Your Pet Expo Sanctuary now has a new blog. Please visit and post a comment.

If you can’t have a real kitten, here are some collector plates, figurines, and other kitten-themed products for sale atOnlineAuction.com




Answer to trivia question: A lactating female cat is called a queen.

Thursday, April 24, 2014

How serious are you about your online business?

I have been reading John Lawson's book "Kick Ass Social Commerce for E-Preneurs" and I love it!! John was kind enough to be on the Online Auction Radio Show on Talkshoe and talk about his book! It is a must for the online seller! If you'd like to listen to the archived show, just click on the link and click "listen" on the 3/11/2014 show. Episode 32.


I am going back through again once I get finished, to reabsorb what I didn't pick up the first time around. I am only about half way through, so I have a way to go.

The one thing that I thought was very appropriate for this post was what I found in chapter 2 where he states "The customer is Always Right - That's ridiculous! No way, impossible. The customer is not always right. But, the customer is always the customer and, as we've seen, the way customers control their wallets matters to your success. Whether or not you think the customer is right, you still have to continue to court King Consumers. They don't have to be right - they're kings."

So, I am going to be writing as a King Consumer and as a seller. I am going to approach both sides about a pet peeve of mine.

I am an online seller. I love to sell! I love to go find things so that I can sell; that is what I love to do!! My King Consumers matter to me. THEY control the purse strings so I do everything in my power to please them. THAT INCLUDES GETTING THE PURCHASE TO THEM AS QUICKLY AS POSSIBLE!

My policy states that I will have the items shipped within 3 business days of cleared payment. Usually, it goes out the next business day. I check my site several times a day to make sure I don't miss questions or miss sending an invoice. I send an email to the customer thanking them for the purchase and I send them the tracking number. And, I invite them to come back to our store and to follow us on Twitter and Facebook.

I have purchased from several sites recently and I am appalled at some of the lackadaisical attitude about shipping purchases to me, the King Consumer. I know . . . the policy states that you will ship within 7 days of my cleared payment. But, this seller states "Payment can be made through Paypal. Please make payment within 72 hours - 3 days of purchase." Hmmmm.

Or the one that I saw "Payment must be made by Paypal within 24 hours end of auction." Granted, this person stated they usually mail within 1 business day of cleared payment. Not the case, though.

Or the person that said "Fantastic...thanks for the quick address....will mail with tracking within 2 days." Four days later I asked again for the tracking number "Sorry hun...will mail tomorrow with tracking. Had to work late."  Finally, four days later, asked again, "May I have the tracking number?" Finally, a dispute has to be filed when no response is given.

Or the person that stated "Please allow for more time. This was mailed media mail and can take longer." I had ordered it a full two weeks prior. I waited another two weeks and I did get my money back when the book did not show up (this was supposed to be a gift). They NEVER sent me a tracking number so I wonder if it was ever sent.

Or the one item that I never was invoiced for, never got an answer to my questions OR a return phone call (I left a message - not returned) so the order is just in limbo . . . and the birthday I had planned it for is long gone.

The point of all this is I WAS the King Consumer in these cases. I simply do not understand what these people were thinking. Why did I have to wait so long for the purchases to be sent? Am I asking too much?

If you have a sale, it is up to you to get that packaged and out the door - look how fast fulfillment centers process their items! I ordered another Kindle for my granddaughter's birthday and had it two days later! I cannot compete with that BUT I can make sure that I get it out as quickly as possible and INFORM the customer of the tracking number and at the same time, let the customer know how I value his/her business! And invite them back!!

This is not a site issue. Each site that I purchased from has individual sellers that sell on their own, ship on their own, and run their own business. This is a SELLER issue. If you are serious about getting more people back into your store to shop again, you need to make sure they leave with a smile on their face! You need to make sure you not only get the package in the mail, you need to let your customer know when you sent it, the way you sent it and the tracking number that was assigned. You need to make sure that your customer KNOWS that you value their business!!

Am I a happy camper? Not for the examples I gave . . . will I return to those sellers? No, they lost their opportunity to sell to me. And I do leave feedback! Have I been impressed lately with some sellers? Yes, I have! And I also leave feedback for them and keep them in mind for future purchases!!

I am just one person. Multiply this by tens, hundreds, etc. and you begin to see that getting the customer is only part of the equation. Keeping them or getting them to return is another part.

Consider what you are doing in shipping. Are you doing everything necessary to keep that customer satisfied? If you are SERIOUS about selling online, this is a question that needs to be addressed. Sometimes we need a gentle reminding.

Okay, I am done with my pet peeve. . . . . I sell on OnlineAuction.com and our store is Korn Kountry Treasures. We'd love to have you stop in and browse!

Back to reading this great book . . . . by the way, a suggestion for you . . . if you are selling online, you NEED to read John Lawson's book! But get the paperback!! I ordered the paperback after reading quite a bit on the Kindle. I found that you can highlight the paperback easier, go back and forth easier and I just like the feel of the book.

I figured I'd loan the Kindle version out to friends. Unfortunately, Amazon does not allow "loaning" the Kindle version to other people. I found that out the hard way. They did, however, credit me back so that I could make a gift of the Kindle version to a friend. So, I sort of got what I intended accomplished. Score one for the King Consumer?? Yup. It made the "no, we can't do that" easier to swallow!!

Thanks for stopping in and have a great day!

Wednesday, April 23, 2014

Great for Mother's Day!


I love pretty jewelry. I don't wear it but I sure do love it! Here at OnlineAuction.com, we have such pretty pieces that I just had to share!
 
Are you looking for something for Mother's Day? Well, here is your chance! There are such beautiful pieces listed, all with a variety of prices for you to look through for that special Mother in your life.

 
 
Vintage CORO Amber/Light Yellow Rhinestone Choker Gold Tone Necklace Signed


 
 

 


 
 

 

 
Which one of these beauties do you like? Which would be the best choice? This is just a little taste of what we have listed on OnlineAuction.com. Come check us out and see if you can't find that perfect gift!!
 
(Oh, and if you fall in love with it, you can get it for yourself!! We won't tell!)
 
Thanks - see you there!!
 
 
 

Tuesday, April 22, 2014

How To Clean French Beaded Flowers

Seed beads make beautiful flowers for elegant arrangements, but they need cleaning, occasionally. See how dull and dusty these flowers look?



The problem is that they can't be immersed in water or the wires could rust, the florist's tape could get soggy and fall off, and any ribbon or other accessories could get ruined. I tried several options and here are the results:




This is what I did:

  • I started with a clean, sturdy makeup brush.

  • I brushed the flowers, carefully, but thoroughly. Sometimes this is all you need, and the brush can be used on bows, trim, and just about anything else that might be in the arrangement, but sometimes it's still not good enough.
  •  My flowers were still dusty, so I sprayed the brush with window cleaner and went at them again. That did the trick. I would NOT recommend spraying the flowers directly, but you can saturate the brush and work the cleaner into the flowers that way. 
The technique for making these beautiful flowers is called "French beading." Love Your Pet Expo Sanctuary has several listings for flowers, leaves, and beads on OLA, with all proceeds going to the their special needs animals.

Seed beads are also good for other crafts and jewelry making. Here are all the seed bead listings on OLA. The Christmas ornament is really cute.


If you love seed beads, and would like to share your expertise, projects, etc., please visit the Love Your Pet Expo Seed Bead page and send them an email.


 

Sunday, April 20, 2014

Have a blessed Easter!

 
It is a glorious spring morning this morning, here in Iowa.
 
I am thankful for the resurrection of Christ. I am thankful to God for the wondrous beauty of the world, from the magnificent heavens to the smallest seed. I am thankful that I can hear the rejoicing in the songs the birds sing.
 
Today is a day of rejoicing, for time with family and for reflection.
 
I pray that everyone has a wonderful, blessed Easter.

Friday, April 18, 2014

Welcome to Kantiques!

Sometimes I get so wrapped up with daily things, I forget to check out what my fellow OLA'ers are up to! Today, I found a nice little store, called Kantiques! A great founding member on OnlineAuction.com!

 
According to the store "About Seller" page:
 
"We offer antiques, primitives, collectibles, and decor sold from the state of Kansas. Our goal is to sell quality merchandise at a reasonable price that people will enjoy for many years to come. Kantiques,LLC was established in November 2007."
 
After browsing the store, I picked out a few items I thought worth mentioning!
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Patchouli Rose Goat Milk Soap (this isn't the only kind!)
 

 
 
 
Or how about?
 
 
Uncle Tom's Raspberry Cream Cheese Scones (and they have other delicious flavors!)
 
So, come on by and check out Kantiques! Nice, clean, a great variety and unusual items!
 
We welcome them to OLA
 

 


Wednesday, April 16, 2014

Love Your Pet Expo Charity Store at OnlineAuction.com


Love Your Pet Expo Sanctuary has had a lot of unexpected vet bills, lately, so they're having a huge blow-out sale to generate some cash FAST! Country Naturals is their OLA sponsor. All proceeds from these sales will go directly to pay the extra vet bills for their precious special needs animals. (Any leftover $$ will go to snacks for poor little Frankie.)

Love Your Pet Expo isn't the only animal charity on OLA. Caring For Cats helps abandoned, homeless cats & kittens. Here is one of their vintage photos, listed on OLA.




OLA has categories for other charities, too. Here are the charity listings for cancer research, beautifully hand crocheted by KornKountryTreasures.




As you shop online, please remember all the nonprofits that need your help and support.