Article Archive46714

One of the few mementos that remained from my grandparent's estate was a deck of playing cards. The other was a finger 'nappie' cut glass bowl signed by the artist. Their seven children shared equally the inheritance and not a stick of furniture came our way. No one knows what happened to the collection of antique hand spun Christmas ornaments or which daughter in law got the Haviland china. I always meant to keep the cards in the family to hand down to my daughter (she did get the nappie), but hard times made us desperate for money to pay the bills.

A transformation deck dated 1871, these Tiffany cards were hand made. Scenes in and around the city and country depicted the various modes of clothing popular at the time. No two card were alike. People were dancing, skating, talking, shopping, walking their dogs, and playing instruments. A clever pattern of diamonds, spades, clubs and hearts were worked into the scene to allow regular play amd printed on a strong plastic for a good snap. They came with a custom leather case, stamped in gold with the owner's name (a relative). All fiftytwo cards were present plus two jokers. These playing cards could not be bought, but were given as a bonus for buying a certain amount of Tiffany wares in their New York store. I thought that somewhere a collector would love to own these unusual cards.

I discovered that the author of a book on the subject lived in a nearby town. I called and he said he would be glad to look at the cards. He glanced casually at the cards, quickly replacing them on the cocktail table. He said that they were not worth more than two hundred fifty dollars. I was surprised at the low amount, telling him of a story I read in a Life Magazine book on antiques that an exact deck was sold ten years previously for four hundred dollars. He said that he knew of that book and he believed it to be a misprint. Suspicious, I told him I would think about it. He called several times, but I wouldn't change my mind.

Back at the library, I found a source book with a list of known card collectors. I wrote to four of them, one in England, one in South Carolina and two in a western state, describing the cards and asking for an offer. The South Carolina person replied with an excited request to buy the cards for one thousand dollars. She related that she belonged to an antique card club and that the president owned such a deck, but in poor condition. She admitted that they might be worth more, but one thousand dollars is all the money she could spend. I wrote back that I would be glad to make her happy, not being a collector myself. Soon the certified check arrived, the cards were insured and sent off, the bills got paid and (almost) everybody was happy.

# posted by satellite25744 : 9:26 PM  0 comments

Within your circle of family and friends, there's bound to be at least one sports enthusiast. Whether he or she is an avid player or a dedicated spectator, the thrill of the game ignites passion and gets the adrenaline pumping. And, when it comes to gift giving occasions - birthdays, anniversaries, graduations, and the holidays - there is an abundance of gift ideas, any of which is certain to bring smiles to their faces.

If your sports fan is also a gamer, there are a number of highly rated video games for the Xbox 360 that make great gifts. The basketball fan will enjoy the NBA 2K6, the hockey enthusiast will love the NHL 2K6, and someone who can never get enough football will go for the Madden NFL 06. The golfer who is also into electronics will have fun with Tiger Woods PGA Tour 06, while the soccer player will get into FIFA 06: Road to FIFA World Cup. There is always any number of racing games available for the Xbox 360, and there's even a game, Bankshot Billiards 2, for those who love to shoot pool.

The Xbox 360 isn't the only platform that offers games for sports enthusiasts. If your fan is into portable gaming, many of the same sports-related games are available for the PSP. Plus, there's the highly rated World Soccer Winning Eleven 9 and Hot Shots Golf: Open Tee.

If your recipient is more interested in the real deal, there are a number of gift ideas that will thrill him or her. Tickets to watch their favorite team play are always appropriate, as are exhibition matches scheduled for their area. Many of the world's best tennis players are turning up for matches in cities across the United States, for example, and any tennis enthusiast would be delighted to watch a favorite player hit the court.

Big occasions sometimes call for big gift ideas. Recently, the children of a couple celebrating their twenty-fifth wedding anniversary pooled their money and arranged for the couple to take a trip to Arizona to watch their favorite major league baseball team during spring training. The memories of that trip will definitely last a lifetime.

There are a number of sports-related toys and games that will delight kids who are players or fans. For the collector, that elusive player card or other sports memorabilia is always a great gift idea.

Virtually every professional team offers an abundance of apparel, leather goods, sports bags, handbags, hats, mugs, and other items that carry the team's logo. Whether it's a minor league team or a World Series winner, it's a safe bet that you can find great gift ideas and shopping opportunities on their website.

# posted by satellite25744 : 8:52 PM  0 comments

If you've ever spent a long time in a vehicle with children then you've probably had to come up with some quick, creative ideas on how to keep them occupied. I have spent countless hours playing travel games with children. Here are a few of the family travel games that I have found perfect for passing the time.

Travel Scavenger Hunt
Make a list of things you might see as you're travelling (this will vary depending on your location). Some good examples would be... an airplane flying overhead, a lamb, a cyclist, an ambulance, a yield sign, litter, a train, etc. Make a list for everyone or play the game as a group. If children are playing individually, the first person to call out an item gets to check it off their list. If the item appears another time at a different location on your route another child may call it and check it off of their list. Whoever gets all of their items first or whoever has the most items when you reach your destination wins.

Travel Bingo
Make up some blank bingo cars and purchase some automobile, street sign, animal or any combination of applicable stickers to put in the blank spaces. Just be sure that any stickers you buy are of items you might see in your travels. Have the children choose and place one sticker in each square (kids love stickers, so even that part is fun). As you're driving children call out and check off any items on their card that they see along the road. The first one to get a full diagonal, horizontal, or vertical line checked off wins. In a pinch, children can draw their own bingo card on a piece of paper and either write in or draw items they might see on their trip.

Category Cards
Buy a package of blank index cards and either write one category name or draw one category picture on each card. You should make up at least sixteen cards. Categories should reflect things you might see on your travels. Be creative with your ideas and the possibilities are limitless. Some good examples would be... street signs, emergency vehicles, transportation, animals, restaurants, sports, etc. When the cards are complete, shuffle them and turn them upside down. When traveling, the first player must draw a card and find something that fits the category picked. When an item is found the next card is picked up and an applicable item is found. All players take turns until all cards are used up. Cards can then be reshuffled and the game can continue, however, if a 'car' was found for the vehicle category on the first round, a different vehicle (eg. truck, train) must be found on the next round. Play for fun or set a time limit for each item and score a point only for items found in the given time.

Licence Plate Spell
Have each child choose a different 5 letter word. When driving each player must find the first letter of their word on a licence plate. When the first letter has been found, they must find the second letter of their word on a different licence plate. This continues till someone completes their word. Then, players choose new words and start again. The player who completes the most words first by the end of the trip wins.

# posted by satellite25744 : 7:53 PM  0 comments

Blogging is main stream. The White House Press Office considers bloggers journalists. Companies like domain giant Go Daddy use blogs to send their marketing message into the viral stratosphere.

Blogs can be the rantings of left wing lunatics, rock stars, opinion makers, or business icons. How about blogs penned by country club wives' investment clubs. Name a topic of interest and there's a blog to go with it.

The question for the forward thinking marketer is, can blogs be a valuable tool to advertise your product or service? The answer: a resounding yes. Blog advertising is beginning to find its way into the marketing mix for many businesses. It presents the same advantages as ezine or email marketing--an inexpensive, effective, trackable tool.

Blog advertising has another attractiveness--The ability to place ads rejected by the Old Media. When the United Chuch of Christ had its commercials rejected by at least two of the big three TV networks last year, they turned to blog advertising with very nice results, thank you very much!

As the marketplace continues to be more fragmented, look for blogvertising to move to the fore. Blogs shape opinion and begin trends. They cater to niche interest groups. Isn't that the audience you want? The one most interested in your product that will tell others. The audience that will finally show you what viral and word of mouth marketing really means.

# posted by satellite25744 : 4:48 PM  0 comments