Talk About It Tuesday

I have a new piggy bank design to talk about today. It's been on the site for a couple weeks, but I haven't officially announced it. Drum roll, pleeeease.................okay, maybe it's not THAT big of a deal.... Introducing the Red Hat Piggy Bank.

My mom asked for it and me being the good daughter I am, I made it for her : )

This would be a great gift for any red hatter you may know. They are always looking for something unique and different. AND this cute piggy bank can also be personalized, say, for the Queen Mother.

For prices and personalization options, visit my website, Korff Ceramic Originals.

* I am in no way affiliated with the Red Hat Society. *

Talk

So much to talk about...so little time:) Been a busy (personal) week and a half for me, but I'll keep this focused on business. I'm excited about 2 new Glow in the Dark Pillowcase designs that I just got printed and are ready to sell! If you are an animal lover - well, specifically dog and cat lover - you're going to love these. The first one, inspired by our new beagle puppy, Scully, is called "PUPPY LOVE":

The second is for all you cat lovers in the world. Personally, I like cats as long as they are at your house, but of course, how could I NOT do a fun Glow in the Dark pillowcase for you too:)

















Unfortunately, my site is a little wacked, so I can't link you straight over there to order, but all should be fixed by tomorrow and I'll sneak back in and add a link. In the mean time, you can start writing a list of all the dog and cat lovers you know and be ready to place your order!

Speaking of ordering, I haven't had a chance to mention that Comfy Cozy is having a Christmas in July sale, too!! Take 20% off all orders placed for our "magical" Glow in the Dark pillowcases, Keepsake photo/sticker calendars and Travel & Toddler pillows. We personalize all of our pillowcases too and offer gift wrap. So, get your buying all wrapped up now!!

Now, I have to go and check on a puppy and get him ready for "kindergarten"!!!

Talk about it Tuesday

I would like to talk about the Pink elephant sitting right smack dab in the middle of my house. It is called the Economy. Conversations have been taking place in various business groups I belong to about the economy and how it is affecting our business's. Being an embroidery business, something most people don't need very often, some never, is tough in the economy today. I have seen my business slow down to a stop. Looking for an outside job is hard to do since I have been working at home for 16 years AND there aren't any jobs to be had anyway. There are so many people out of work.
We have been discussing the fact that we have given up any trips this summer just to put gas in the cars. This is not a happy subject in my house because our grandkids live in CA and we are in AZ.
So.... what have you given up just to make ends meet. What are your priorities??
Maybe your business is doing really well. I would love to hear about it and how you keep things going in the economy of today.
A while back we had the discussion about Made in America. It is interesting how the two subjects have overlapped. I don't know if we can have a survey on this blog but I would find it interesting to know, how do you choose a product. Price or ??
I had a dream once to produce Heirloom products that could be handed down to family members. I am seeing that dream fade away. Not only because of the economy but because it seems that some people don't care so much any more about passing down family heirlooms. I find that so interesting.
hhmmm I gues I have chosen a couple things to Talk about Today. It will be good to hear your opinions.

Talk About It Tueday!

Since we are celebrating Christmas in July at Korff Ceramic Originals, I will talk about my Personalized Cookies for Santa Plates. Ho Ho Ho! Christmas is only 177 days away!

I have been painting these cookie plates for a long time. Since before I started the website and working at home, so that's over 10 years now. The first design was the snowman....just a simple snowman with a hat and scarf. He was quite popular until....

until someone asked if I could paint a Santa face. And so I designed a Santa face plate and that has been the BIG seller every fall.

After Santa came the reindeer. I like reindeer, so it was just a natural progression for me to paint a Reindeer cookie plate.

And then came the Gingerbreadman, the Penguin (thanks to Happy Feet) and finally the Santa bear plate.

All the plates can be personalized with your choice of phrase (Cookies for Santa, etc.) and names. So far I have been able to fit 6 names along the bottom of a plate (I can write small if I have too : ) Matching mugs are also available, so Santa can have his cookies and milk in style. Personalized Cookies for Santa plates are $28.00ea, matching mugs are $20.00, or you can buy the set for $40.00. Take advantage of our Christmas in July Sale (aka Save My Sanity Sale) order now and save 20% : )

Talk About It Tuesday

I haven't seen the other ladies posts yet, so I don't know if there is going to be a theme this week. However, Lynn talked about her softball piggies... which made me think of watching sports... which led to plasma TVs... which of course resulted in today's talk about it topic: custom made plasma TV stands.

The nice thing about a custom TV stand is that you get to choose everything about it, from the height to the color to the hardware. Unlike when you visit a furniture store, what you see is NOT what you get. When you purchase custom furniture, you get exactly what you want.

The TV stand pictured is 55" wide with 2 sets of doors in a black on java prim finish. It features a component cubbie and a shelf behind each set of doors.

Here is what you need to know before you order your custom TV stand:

• Height x Width x Depth of TV.


• H x W x D of the largest component (usually the stereo receiver) and smallest component.


• Maximum H x W x D of overall unit. (Measure your wall.)


• Number of shelves and drawers needed.


• Additional features needed. For example, a pull out shelf for your turntable.


• Wood, glass,mesh or no doors?


• If the unit will have doors, does it need a component cubbie?

Other things you will need to decide on:

• Type of wood? Pine, Maple, Oak, Cherry, Tiger Maple, Exotic


• Finish Type & Color (Some wood species, like Tiger Maple, need to be dyed. Others can be stained or painted.)


• Hardware

Have fun shopping for your new TV and contact Shaka Studios when you are ready to design your custom TV stand!

Talk About It Tuesday

Aaaah, time to talk about something. I think I'll talk about the baseball/softball piggy bank. Mostly because it's that time of year : ) I can't call this piggy bank an original idea....wish I could, but I did see it in a catalog a long, long time ago. So when I began painting piggy banks, I started a whole sports ball line.
I love painting the Baseball Piggy Bank. He is relatively easy and the design just suits the round piggy bank body. Plus, both my girls play softball, so he holds a special place in my heart. In fact, for a few years, I donated (I'm going to call them softball piggy banks now : ) Softball Piggy Banks as prizes at the annual banquets. I would paint one in white and one in neon green.

Each player that came to the banquet would get a ticket for the drawings when they arrived. There were gift certificates and small gift baskets and just a lot of stuff for prizes. I didn't know it, but they saved my piggy banks for last. I also didn't know this either.....ALL the girls were waiting to see who won them. They were THE most desired prizes there. It made me chuckle....I paint them all the time and they just aren't special to me anymore. But they were special to them. I told my 12yo(then 10yo) that she better not win one! I was NOT bringing one back home. She didn't.
At that time, I also had come across some wee little round piggy banks. These were about the size of a baseball....so we painted one for each of her team mates that year. They were neon green, because that was her team's color, with red stitches, and we wrote their name and number on them. They were tiny and cute and the girls loved them. We still see some of the girls at games and it's fun to hear that they still have them.

The Softball/Baseball Piggy Bank is an ideal gift for any ballplayer, boy or girl. It starts at $35.50, with personalization and shipping being extra. Hit a home run with someone you know when you give them this as a gift! Hope you enjoyed my rambling, and we'll talk about something else next week : ) Stop by my website if you are looking for a unique and personalized gift!

Talk about it Tuesday, Too

In very loose keeping with the animal theme... I'm going to discuss my favorite Shaka Studios item, the Tiger Maple Pencil Post Bed.

Over the past 20 years, Shane has made hundreds (if not thousands) of pencil post beds from all sorts of different timber species. He designed and crafted a yellow pine version called the Jefferson Bed for Cargo Furniture Stores. The pencil post bed is very elegant, no matter what wood is used. However, tiger maple beds are stunningly beautiful. They simply take your breath away.

Tiger Maple Pencil Post Beds start at $3582. Since we custom make each bed to order, you have many options and upgrades available to you. Visit Tiger Maple Pencil Post Beds on Shaka Studio's website for more information.

Talk About It Tuesday!

It's time for Talk About It Tuesday! A day when us contributors can "talk about" one of our products.

I'm going to start it off with the Zebra Piggy Bank. This Zebra Piggy Bank is one of my favorites to paint. Not sure why. I've always liked black and white in nature, so maybe that has something to do with it. Maybe it is the challenge of painting all the stripes freehand....yes, I do paint the stripes freehand. Maybe it is just a fun piggy bank : )

This piggy bank design was born after I took my daughter to the zoo a few years ago. As we were leaving, it just popped into my head that I should paint some piggy banks in animal patterns. No reason for that thought....I wasn't thinking about working. At least I don't think I was....it just was there. And so, a couple weeks later, I did.

The Zebra Piggy Bank starts at $38.50, with personalization available for an additional fee. If you would like to visit the Zebra Piggy Bank, or see any of my other designs, please visit my website, Korff Ceramic Originals. Thanks for reading and have a great day!