Marry Christmas

Hey, everyone - I hope you have a wonderful Christmas - and that you got all your Christmas shopping done in time! Mind you, there are times when a cash gift is the best thing you can get because you can then buy that wonderful bit of art which you always wanted. I've got a wee wishlist for some of the art of Kira Ayn Varszegi - I noticed just now that, as well as the Painting by Breast series of work, she also has some stunning photography for sale. Well done Kira!

More photos from our holiday in Tain

We had a lovely holiday - the weather ranged from grey to glorious - and here's the photo to prove it. This is the main shopping street in Tain which was bathed in sunshine on Saturday morning as we got ready to leave for home.

Holiday in the north of Scotland

We had a quick escape to a self-catering cottage in Tain. A lovely, golden October week in the north of Scotland. OK, the weather wasn't terrific every day but even on the grey days we could get out and explore. It was marvellous.

This image shows Keiss harbour - we called in here late one evening and spent a few minutes having a look around.

I'll publish more photos shortly - but I should really get down to some work!

Cheers for now
M

Two-piece Toddler Pajamas - Thor Motocross fans

Toddler Two-Piece Pajamas


Cool - it's great what you can find for the little petrolheads in your life! What's more, there are other styles available.

I love this one!

Smell My Exhaust MX Romper


Definitely not for the faint-hearted!

Enjoy

Antique Stained Glass Windows by Tiffany

Tiffany lamps I had heard of - but I didn't know that there is an active market in tiffany stained glass windows.

When I did a little reading on this, I realised that Louis Comfort Tiffany designed stained glass windows and then, noticing that the glass offcuts were still usable, found a way of setting the glass in channel settings which could be formed into shapes such as lampshades. This thrifty approach to business led to the evolution of stunning interior decorative pieces which are also collected today.

Billy Elliot

My sister keeps nagging me to book a holiday to New York. She found a rental apartment somewhere and thinks it would make an ideal Easter break - and you don't know just how tempting this is. What would make it even more tempting is if we could book the Billy Elliot Tickets
right now! Then I'd have to make the travel arrangements. This is one show I'd love to see.

We haven't been to the theatre for ages - the last production which we saw was a local school concert in Helensburgh - and the last outing to a theatre proper was to the Glasgow Concert hall. That was a lovely Viennese night at New Year. .... Hmm - that just gets me thinking!

M

Pam Carter original for sale on eBay

I just love Pam Carter's Scottish paintings - her work is colorful, fresh and captures the essence of Scottish scenery. This picture is for sale on eBay and seems like a bargain to me. Pam Carter's paintings have become very collectible.

This auction ends on 16 September so don't delay - and please note the time which is GMT (ie it's a UK auction!)

Murder Wrote She

Just imagine this; you buy a new house and move in to it. One day, you decide to check out the contents of one of the upstairs rooms and you find a cardboard box which holds exercise books. When you check through the notebooks, you find that these books contain Agatha Christie's notes, plot outlines and drafts of many of Christie's novels. That's what happened to John Curran when he bought Greenway, which had been Christie's holiday home in Devon. Even more exciting was the realisation that there was a completely unknown Poirot story in these books (it had been rejected by Christie's publishers because it was about a Hitler figure) John Curran has published Agatha Christie's Secret Notebooks which should be a great read for students of Christie's work.


If you're looking for some great reading, check out some of Christie's books here.

Murder Wrote She

Who moved my cheese

Someone recently recommended a book called "Who Moved My Cheese?" after I had been talking about managing change in our retail store. Because of the effects of the recession, the retail scene in our town has changed and I guess like many others we have been struggling to find our feet again. Anyway, the recommendation for this book has been quite a revelation - and if, like me, you're struggling with the concept of whether or not to change your business, then this book might just save you some heartache.

Blessings,
Margaret

Michael Jackson

I was sorry to hear of the untimely death of Michael Jackson - although I always felt that he was frail. I hope he didn't suffer too much in his final hours and hope he rests in peace.

Mar

ps - here's a list of books and other Michael Jackson stuff which you might like -

• Michael Jackson
  
• 
  Michael Jackson: Never Surrender
  
• 
  Michael Jackson: Live in Japan
  
• Jacko: His Rise and Fall: The Sexual History of Michael Jackson
  
• Positive Voices for Mjj Presents Endurance : A Book Written by Fans, Friends, and Supporters of Michael Joseph Jackson the Man, the King of Pop
  
  
• 
  In The Studio With Michael Jackson
  
• Costume Accessories: Michael Jackson Sequin Glove and Leggings
  

What's hot on eBay right now?

In these tough times, a fast way of getting cash for your items is to sell them on eBay. It could be a great money maker, especially if you know what items are hot

Here's a quick link to find all the hot items on

• eBay.com.


• ebay.co.uk

It's a great way of researching niche markets where people are spending money - and might also reveal some hidden gems which you might not have considered would sell.

I found this item on ebay.co.uk

It's a cute playhouse for young kids -

Play House for Children

and it would be a great way to keep youngsters occupied during the summer holidays.

Mar

Toll Positions - Harvey Brody's Patents Live On

I love it when someone provides elegant solutions to problems. You know the type of thing - the wooden drawer in your wardrobe stops running smoothly and jams every time you open and close it - and then someone tells you to rub candle grease on the runners to make it run smoothly again. That's a fast, cheap solution to a daily problem - and although you might choose to have the drawer repaired by a carpenter, the candle grease works well in the meantime.

Now imagine it was you who provided the candle grease solution; further, if you had patented the solution and sold the candle grease in a dispenser just for this purpose, and had arranged the manufacture of this dispenser, selling it to distributors, then you control the whole process. You also earn money on each and every sale of your invention.

That's effectively what Harvey Brody did many years ago now as a young man when he invented the Zoom-Spout® Oiler. It is still being sold today - see the Zoom Spout Oiler being sold right now on eBay.

How do I ask my girlfriend to marry me?

“The Wedding Proposal Of Her Dreams”

Popping the question…it’s not so easy is it? And the last thing you want to do is ask the question in such a way that it’s about as memorable as last weeks left over stew. You want the day you asked your sweetheart to marry you to be as memorable for her as her wedding day itself. Yes, it IS possible. All you have to do is use a little imagination. This article will give you some tips to get you started.

Hopefully, if you’re actually serious about marrying this girl, you know quite a bit about her. Of course these days, that’s not always a given. But for our purposes, we’ll assume you do. Great, so what does she like? What places has she told you about that she’d love to visit? What’s her favorite food? What’s her favorite night out? What does she long for almost as much as your company? If you’ve made a mental note of these things, coming up with a wedding proposal idea shouldn’t be hard.

For example, let’s say that your gal has always wanted to go to a Broadway play. Let’s say that her favorite ones are the love stories. You know, where the guy gets the gal at the end. This is perfect. At the end of the play, when she’s crying with tears of joy, pull out the ring from your pocket, open up the box, take it out, take her hand and say, “Darling…will you marry me?” Think she’s crying now? You ain’t seen nothing yet. This will be a memory she will not soon forget.

Another thing you might want to do is find out from some of her friends if this is something that she’d like to share with them. Some friends know things like this. If so, arrange to have some kind of public gathering. Maybe a party for her and her friends. And then, at the end of the evening, you ask for everybody’s attention and then, with the room dead quiet, you go through the ritual. Your gal will be absolutely speechless.

These are just a couple of the many things you could do to put some zing into your wedding proposal. However, if you want some really killer ideas, check out the link in my signature. It is a review of a great resource with more wedding proposal ideas than you can shake a stick at.

This is one day you want your gal to remember.

Lingerie Wholesale

Lingerie Mart ™ - the largest worldwide distributor of wholesale lingerie, sexy intimate apparel, bras, thongs, panties, sleepwear, sexy costumes, plus sizes, swimwear and more!

Our average sale is over $500.00 and up! Big sales mean high commissions! 7% commission on all orders we receive from our affiliates.

Since 1997, we have served 1,000's of customers on-line. We are the original wholesale lingerie internet company with over 12 years experience on-line, and over 25 years in the lingerie industry. Based in Atlanta, Georgia Lingerie Mart has grown into the largest supplier of name brand lingerie and intimate apparel at low wholesale prices. We cater to all businesses, big and small, including internet sites, chains, discount outlets, exporters, flea marketers, boutiques, EBayers and more!

Our massive selection, low prices and superb customer service have made Lingerie Mart famous around the world. With over 15,000 square-feet of inventory in our Atlanta warehouse, we ship products daily to every state in the USA. We also specialize in the export of lingerie to all parts of the world including all parts of Europe, all of Asia, New Zealand /Australia, Japan and the entire Pacific Rim, and all parts of the UK and Canada. We also ship daily to the Middle East Gulf States, Africa, Central and South America, and all of the Caribbean Islands.

Whether your product needs include bras, thongs, lingerie, sexy intimate apparel, plus sizes or swimwear, our incredible selection and #A-1 professional customer service are your guarantee for continued profit and success!

Can’t End Your Affair? Read This!

There is probably nothing harder in this world than ending a bad love affair. Well, maybe doing advanced Calculus might be a little harder, but not much. Truth is, there are just no words that you can say that will make ending an affair with somebody go down easier. So looking for some magic solution is going to bring you down a long road filled with disappointment. However, in this article, I’m going to share some tips that might ease the pain just a little.

For one thing, you need to be direct but sympathetic. Nobody likes a jerk and ending an affair with something like, “Hey, go take a hike!” is not going to win you many brownie points. You need to have just a little bit of compassion for the person on the other side. Of course this compassion should also be in proportion to how much of it you were on the receiving end of. Some people are just flat out mean and don’t deserve more than a kick out the door. But we’re talking about letting people go who are essentially good people.

When you sit down with the person, talk about the good times you’ve had. Tell the person what you like about them. Not all breakups have to be all bad. Truth is, no relationship is black and white. There is always some good and bad, even in the ones that stay intact. By pointing out the good times, you help ease the blow a little bit. Then, explain why you feel it’s best to end things. Make the explanation as clear as possible so that there is no mistake. Nobody likes a vague reason for ending things. Answers like, “It’s just not working” do not go over well. Explain WHY it’s not working. The person on the other end deserves that much.

Finally, and this is the most important thing, take responsibility for your part of the breakup. It’s never just one person’s fault. Explain what you did wrong and how that only made the situation worse. Total honesty will go down a long way. It won’t make your partner any happier but it will make it all go down just a little easier.

If you want more info on this sensitive subject, check this out It is a review of a great resource that should help.

Breaking up shouldn’t be like performing major surgery.

Stunning eBay Auction Success

Wow - Jim Cockrum has been running an auction on eBay to create a web site for someone and let them keep the profits - the details read

Description (revised)
Hi I'm Jim Cockrum and I want to work with you one on one to make a VERY successful website.

There will be only ONE WINNING BIDDER on this auction.

If you have ANY questions you can email me at Jim@SilentJim.com

Here's the deal:

I'll do 95% of the work (all the stuff you don't want to do) and in the end it will be YOUR website. I'll even promote it and make sales.


I am GUARANTEEING GREAT SALES when we launch...read on for details...


Am I qualified for this project?

* I've personally written and sold one of the all time best selling ebooks ever written. It is without a doubt the all time best selling eBay related ebook (that's a very crowded market) on the top ebook website online. My best guess is that it's sold nearly 80,000 copies in the last 7 years or so....possibly far more (I didn't start tracking it until recently).
* I've recently auctioned off a few hours of my coaching time on eBay for just under $10K. The bidding was furious and all of the winners ( I took on more than one student in that one) walked away happy and are still working with me. I'm a lifelong coach - not a one shot "take the money and run" type of guy.
* I run two very popular membership websites with over 7,000 combined fiercely loyal members.
* I have nearly 100,000 subscribers on mailing list and am considered by thousands to be a top expert on eBay, ebooks, and online entrepreneurship.
* I'm running this auction to once again prove what my time is worth on the open market

There's only a couple of hours left on this auction, so, if you're interested, you'd better hop on over to the eBay auction

Caravan holidays

I haven't done many caravan holidays - but I have very fond memories of two.

The first time that I clearly remember is visiting Dunbar where my in-laws had rented a caravan just off the links golf course. If my memory isn't playing tricks on me, we stayed for a few days - and it was a quick walk from the caravan to the beach. The weather was glorious and the atmosphere lovely and friendly.

The second time I stayed in a caravan was when I met my second husband. A friend and I visited her parents' caravan near Strachur in Argyll. (OK, it was a static van rather than a mobile caravan) and it was very comfortable. We had a great holiday - and when, on the first evening, we went to the Glendale hotel, I met Sandy and that sealed my fate. The small, exlusive park is still there - but, strangely, I haven't been back in over 20 years. I still think fondly of the experience though.

Caravan holidays can be as straightforward or as complicated as you like. I prefer the freedom of choosing when to have breakfast, when to face the world - and love being able to cook simple meals (although I do love to go out for meals as well). Also, dress code can be slightly more relaxed than staying in hotels. The nice thing about owning or hiring a caravan is that there is usually a fairly sociable group of people who will welcome you and help with any problems - or who will leave you to your own devices, if that's what you prefer.

I'm checking out second-hand caravans right now - I'm told that the bargains are being picked up fast as more people choose to tow their holiday home behind them as they cut down on the expenses of vacations.

Bizarre eBay Auctions

Oh, I don't know, there are times when you just gotta do it. I found some links to some of the more unusual eBay auction items.

The first one - MicroDermabrasion Face Cloths - has such a sweet music track playing through it that I can't switch the danged thing off!

THE Original MicroDermabrasion CLOTH IS 12" x 12"

It is made of my trademarked DERMAL GRADE Miracle Fabric - The ONLY Time-Tested and Doctor-Approved Grade Of MicroFiber You Should Use On Your Skin.

The second one - the Remote Control Fart Machine apparently has a repertoire of 15 different sounds. We're all kids together here!

Finally, Kira is now a powerseller - her Painting by Breast series of paintings has put her into the powerseller league - well done Kira!

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Whatever happened to snuggie blankets?

Have you even heard of snuggie blankets??

I must confess that I only found out about snuggies today - and they seem like quite a cool idea. ... er, make that warm idea. The basic design is a fleece blanket which has sleeves sewn into it - so that you can cover up on the couch and yet have your arms free (and cosy) to read a book, have a drink of beer.

They look like back-to-front dressing gowns :) - and certainly will keep you snug and warm without having to turn up the central heating on a cool day.

On the topic of blankets - I can't quite believe the variety available - for instance, there are John Deere themed fleece blankets for the tractor enthusiasts among you.

A step back to childhood

I had a couple of hours to spare recently and I took a quick walk down memory lane.

My father was a farmer - we had dairy cattle for a long time and it's a hard, demanding lifestyle. As kids, we weren't exactly encouraged to help out - but we did manage to sneak in and bring a gallon of milk to Mom for dinner or breakfast. I can remember clearly the hard work washing out all the dairy dishes and implements, the milking machines, the milk cans which were uplifted daily by the milk lorry. Even more spectacular was the day when dad got his first bulk milk cooler - second-hand from a cousin. He was as newfangled with it as it was possible to be.

I can remember the smell of the cleaning chemicals in the dairy as if it was yesterday. I can smell the cattle feed we gave in the winter, see the cattle licking the salt lick, drinking water, eating the sweet smelling hay and silage. Once you've heard the sound of the milking machines, you would recognise it anywhere.

I can remember Dad crouching alongside the cows, testing each quarter to make sure the cow didn't have mastitis - because that's one of the potential side-effects of using mechanical milking machines. If there was any trace of infection, the infected quarter wasn't milked - and I don't think the rest of the milk from that animal was included in the milk collection. The vet was called out and antibiotics administered to treat the cow - I vaguely remember a small tube of ointment which was applied locally to the infected teat.

Among the other sounds - the barking of the collie dogs as they helped bring in the herd at milking time; the sound of the chains rattling as Dad tied up each cow in her stall before milking started. I remember being quite frightened when the bull was among the cattle - I never felt quite so easy about tying him up - although generally there were no problems. I can still "hear" the milk lorry arriving to pick up the day's milk. Our milking machines were driven by a vacuum arrangement attached to a tractor drive - and the sound of Dad starting that up is still with me.

The cow shed is a noisy place. The cattle low, they seem to gossip to one another. Their feet made a distinctive noise on the concrete floor; you could hear them eating the hay and the cattle nuts; if they were wintered inside, you could hear the sound of them breathing. Cleaning out the byre was also a noisy affair with the dung being scraped into a collecting trough and then barrowed out to the dung heap. The hay was brought from the hayshed - and that had its own noise, too - rustling of the wind through the shed made its own light, whispering sound.

I didn't realise how very much I miss all of this - farming is a labour of love and I cherish the memory of those far off days.

Derek Gehl Announces his retirement from the Internet Marketing Center

Wow - I just got an email which said that Derek Gehl is retiring from the Internet Marketing Center - wow, that's stunning.

Yes you read it right... I, Derek Gehl, am retiring!

This is NOT a publicity stunt and in two months from now I promise I will NOT be announcing my un-retirement :-)

As of March 13th I will have stepped down as CEO of the Internet Marketing Center and handed over the reins to a team of incredible people!

.... Wow!

M

Rick Segel

I've been a fan of Rick Segel now for several years. For those of you who don't know him, he was a specialty retailer in Florida and then he started writing books and consulting for other retailers, some small, some large. He has a great following at trade show events where his retailing expertise provides the basis for his tutorials and discussions. I'd strongly recommend that retailers, shopkeepers, heck, anyone in business, take the time to visit his site and check out what's happening in the world of retail through his eyes.

Rick Segel runs a membership site called The Retailers Advantage where you get access to much information and discussion on the art of being profitable and successful in a very competitive marketplace.

Today has been quite surreal

Today has been a day of extreme contrasts. It started well enough with the news that I have another contract for a web site, as well as a good online sale in my Scottish Gifts web site. There are a couple more web enquiries outstanding, so hopefully they will also come to fruition.

However, in some respects, the day went downhill from there. One of our friends came in to the shop for lunch and told us that her best friend had had an accident while entering the local bus. So our friend ended up arranging medical care, transport, etc instead of travelling to Glasgow for a nice day out. When she arrived at the coffee shop, she was white and drawn; it took a wee while for her to recover her composure.

Then later on, a group of four people arrived for coffees - and gave us the news that a regular customer had died in her sleep last weekend - and that the funeral had already taken place. We were numb, because the lady had lunched with us just a couple of days before her death.

The day was "topped off" by being told that another customer had died of mesothelioma almost a year ago. His widow said that there had been no indication of it until he had an accident and at that stage, there was no possibility of effective treatment.

We're going home shortly and are going to say silent prayers for the friends we have lost, the friends we still have - and for all the relatives and friends left behind.

M

Frank Kern reminds me of .....

erm,... "Hey, Dude" - I finally figured it out. It's been bugging me for days.  I knew I would get it eventually, but today I finally worked out who it is that Internet Marketing Guru Frank Kern reminds me of - and that is ....
Donald Sutherland
... particularly in Kelly's Heroes
whew - now that I have made the connection, I can go and get on with something else, LOL

Margaret

Fresh Air - Spring Cleaning

After a cold, frosty spell of weather, today is the first day when I can say that it feels spring-like.  I opened our bedroom windows wide and felt the lovely fresh air flooding into the room.  It's great - just getting the room aired out - and it made me feel like doing more than whisk a duster around the furniture.  There isn't quite enough "drouth" - or drying wind - to get the curtains down and wash them, but there are corners which need refreshing and I'm just off to do that.

Vinegar for windows
A quick tip for cleaning windows - use

2 cups of water,
1/4 cup of white
distilled vinegar,
1/2 teaspoon of liquid soap or detergent in a spray bottle.

(The liquid soap is added to take away any residue from using a commercial window cleaning product - sometimes they linger on windows, leaving them streaky.)

That's all there is to it. (Make sure to label the
bottle and keep it out of the reach of children.)

Map of 52 States in the USA

View Larger Map

I need somewhere quick and easy to find a map of all 52 states in the USA - and this google map is great, because you can expand it to see much more.

Enjoy!

Admin

Presidential Autographs - for the Collector

List of Presidents

in Numerical Order

1. George Washington (1789-1797)


2. John Adams (1797-1801)


3. Thomas Jefferson (1801-1809)


4. James Madison (1809-1817


5. James Monroe (1817-1825)


6. John Quincy Adams (1825-1829)


7. Andrew Jackson (1829-1837


8. Martin Van Buren (1837-1841)


9. William Henry Harrison (1841-1841)


10. John Tyler (1841-1845)


11. James K Polk (1845-1849)


12. Zachary Taylor (1849-1850)


13. Millard Fillmore (1850-1853)


14. Franklin Pierce (1853-1857)


15. James Buchanan (1857 - 1861)


16. Abraham Lincoln (1861-1865)


17. Andrew Johnson (1865-1869)


18. Ulysses S Grant (1869-1877)


19. Rutherford B Hayes (1877-1881)


20. James A Garfield (1881-1881)


21. Chester A Arthur (1881-1885)


22. Grover Cleveland (1885-1889)


23. Benjamin Harrison (1889-1893)


24. Grover Cleveland (1893-1897)


25. William McKinley (1897-1901)


26. Theodore Roosevelt (1901-1909)


27. William Howard taft (1909-1913)


28. Woodrow Wilson (1913-1921)


29. Warren G Hardin (1921-1923)


30. Calvin Coolidge (1923-1929)


31. Herbert Hoover (1929-1933)


32. Franklin D Roosevelt (1933-1945)


33. Harry S Truman (1945-1953)


34. Dwight D Eisenhower (1953-1961)


35. John F Kennedy (1961-1963)


36. Lyndon B Johnson (1963-1969)


37. Richard Nixon (1969-1974)


38. Gerald Ford (1974-1977)


39. Jimmy Carter (1977-1981)


40. Ronald Reagan (1981-1989)


41. George H W Bush (1989-1993)


42. William Clinton (1993-2001)


43. George W Bush (2001-2009)


44. Barack Obama (2009-present )

I've found some interesting presidential autographs for sale. I wonder if this could be the start of a new collection??

Bill and Hillary Clinton

Kennedy Speeches

Barack Obama

Ulysses S Grant Presidential Pardon


Very Rare President John Adams Signed & Owned Book

White House autograph of President Theodore Roosevelt

Wild, windy day in Helensburgh

... ok, I guess this is only to be expected at this time of year, and stormy days certainly make for more dramatic photos, but it's possible to have too much of a good thing. I amn't sure just how the holiday season is going to develop this year - we know of several people who are going on a cruise shortly, but these have been booked for several months. I am sure that there will be people taking advantage of special offers and vacation deals - but I am also hoping that a lot of people visit Scotland to take part in the Homecoming 2009 events. At present it's impossible to gauge.

Despite the uncertainty, we've had a reasonably good start to the year at MacGillivray's Scottish Gifts - and part of that is down to the efforts we made to market our business over the last twenty years. Every now and again someone turns up from a far-flung corner of the world and says "Hey, it's great to see your still here and we made a special trip just to see you!" ... It's the greatest compliment we could get.

... we'll maybe see you sometime in Helensburgh?? I hope so.

Best
Margaret

Moorcroft pottery - it's just delicious

The quality of the Moorcroft pottery shines through in this lovely example of a vase designed by Emma Bossons. It looks good enough to eat. I love the fact that it comes with its original box as well.

The reason it caught my eye in amongst the other Moorcroft auctions was the box - I would have recommended separating the vase and the box in the picture so that the box was evident in the background but didn't overwhelm the shape of the vase. Anyway, when I finally figured out what was going on, I had to show hubby how lovely the vase is :) - he can start saving for my birthday gift right now :)

M

Elsie - animatronic - a talking, singing robotic cow

Elsie - this is a fabulous, must-have item. I love it. After a grey start to the morning, I'm wide awake and smiling now!

Margaret

Do you like weird auctions? It must be time for some more.

I haven't had time to have a quick look at the bizarre stuff which sells on eBay - but I needed a little chuckle this morning and, wow, there is some really amazing stuff! For instance, there's an auction for a Janet Jackson Bra Superbowl 2004 - plus some authentication and newsreel footage to go with it.

Then, as a shopkeeper, I was entertained to see a Black Gorilla Robot Animated Advertising Sign - I'm not sure it would survive the weather on west coast Scotland facing the prevailing south westerly winter storms, but it would certainly be unique!

Then, with an eye to the inauguration of President Obama, there's an auction for a historic newspaper of the inauguration of Abraham Lincoln in 1861. According to the description:

Here is a complete, genuine historic newspaper with the following title, date and description:
THE NEW YORK TIMES, March 5, 1861

* Abraham Lincoln's 1st Inauguration
* Barack Obama follows his footsteps

A very desirable and historic issue particularly given the inauguration of Barack Obama who has many comparative references to the administration of Abraham Lincoln.

Hmm, I'm not sure this one would be for me - STANDING PUSSY CAT / KITTEN STATUE
HOLDING SEA SHELL DISH, but I could see it appealing to cat lovers - or someone wanting to redecorate their bathroom.

My favorite for today, though, is this optimist who's selling An actual Leaf from the 20th Century! How weird is that!

Now, I'd better go and do some work :) Hope you have a good day. Mine has improved already!

My dream handbag

Every now and again, I stray into territory where my cheque book and credit card are poised on the brink of break out, LOL, no more so than with this lovely handbag by Chanel which is being sold currently. I love quality handbags and watching the bids on this beautifull classic is almost too much to bear. In addition to that, I do actually need a new bag ..... it's so tempting!

Alcoholics Anonymous Collectors' Items

Since I've started surfing around eBay in earnest, I am quite amazed at the range of items which are collectible - for instance, early editions of books from Alcoholics Anonymous fetch some quite high prices when they're in great condition. This could be a great niche market to explore to earn extra income - I suspect there are a lot of people who, like me, have never given a thought to this niche market.

Oil Paintings still show sales on eBay

I wonder how many people are still using eBay to buy paintings and collectibles to add to their collections. Quite a few, judging by the number of items listed with bids. Which artists do you collect?

Deals on eBay - Buy in quantity at bargain prices

When did it happen? I just realised that there's a new tab in the eBay site for special deals. You're probably going to tell me that it's been there for a while - but I only saw it today. I am off to look around and see what kind of bargains are on offer.

Rare illuminated manuscripts - Legenda Aurea

I love watching auctions - and there are some amazing things being sold online when you care to surf around. For instance, I came across this auction for a Legenda aurea rare manuscript with 224 initials - and decided to take a further look.

The manuscript at hand is an edition of Jacobus de Voragine's Legenda Aurea. This collection of legends about the life of numerous saints, written between 1263 and 1273, is seen today as the most famous and most popular chapbook of the Middle Ages. The saints vita's were collocated along the ecclesiastical year. They were provided with substantial explanations of the great holidays Christmas, Epiphany, Easter, Ascension Day, Pentecost and of the liturgical customs. This way, the book does not only serve as a daily edification, but also as a “manual for reflection and contemplation” during the feast days.

Local legends were often extended to the saints' legends written by Jacobus de Voragine too. Between the leaves 256-289 verso, you will find some early enlargements, for example first Saint Lazarus' legend (lvs. 256-258), and beginning with leaf 274, you find a study about Thomas the Apostle.

The text is written in two constant columns, each of them with 40 lines. The text area is very constant too with 8,4 x 5,7 inches. The smooth preparatory drawings of four vertical and 41 horizontal lines are sometimes readily identifiable. The script was written roundly in gothic letters with dark brown ink.

Further, the seller states -

The gorgeously large Fleuronée-initials are especially striking. They are often stretched out over three lines, but some of them even over fourteen lines. A gorgeous initial is as large as a whole page. The initials are alternative red and blue. Red initials are decorated with blue patterns, the blue ones are decorated with copious red patterns. The letters are filled with embellishments, leafages and ornaments. At the same time several slightly curved embellishments are stretched out right over the space and accompany the columns and the edges. These embellishments often capture the edge of a whole page. The stylishly in red and blue coloured letters stand in a beautiful contrast to the nice, framing patterns. Together, they build a nice unity. Each of the sophisticated jewel initials is an outstanding example for the art of book painting in the Middle Ages. In addition, the text is continuously rubricated and structured with numerous red and blue coloured break tags and with several chapers's indication.

Jacobus de Voragine (around 1230 – 1298) was born in the region of Genua. He became a member of the Dominican order in early life. After his education within the fraternity and his studies at the university of Bologna, he became a professor of theology in 1260. Beside teaching in his order's schools, where he was well known due to his rhetoric talents, he was also an itinerant preacher on the whole Italian peninsula. Between 1267 and 1278 and 1281 and 1286 he was provincial superior of the Lombardy. In 1288, finally, he was elected as Genua's archbishop. The Legenda Aurea is Jacobus Voragine's most famous and most important work: it became an important source for veneration of saintin the Middle Ages and later on .

All in all, this is a very rare manuscript from the 14th century. It's presumably the most famous and most influential work of the Middle Ages'. Especially, the manuscript's exceedingly gorgeous illustrations with more than 220 Fleuronnée-initials give this manuscript a unique character and make it worthy to collect!!

I can't begin to imagine owning something this old and this stunning - but now that my interest has been piqued, I am going to watch further auctions for rare illuminated manuscripts.