I'm back...

Hi, there

The Expo, I would say, was successful even though it was quiet and the expected numbers did not attend. I've put some feedback on my site, plus some pics - click here to view: http://easterngifts.co.za/homemakers-expo-a-46.html

Let me know what you think.

Regards,
M.

I'll be quiet...

...for the next week or so. I'm doing the Homemakers Expo in PE this weekend, so will not have time to update my blogs. However, I do look forward to giving you some feedback on the Expo and to uploading some pic's of my stand.
If you are in PE, please do come and visit - it'll be great to have you there.
Regards,
M.

Give Some Love, Make More Profit!

Give Some Love, Make More Profit!

Hi, there

I’ve come across this article that was e-mailed to me this morning – all about “Word of Mouth” marketing and building relationships. Happy reading…

Regards,
M.

P.S. Its by Brian Walsh from entrepreneur.co.za

Today I want to talk aboutrelationship and word of mouth marketing. Since I started researching and presenting Master Marketer, I have realised that most entrepreneurs use word of mouth as their primary means of marketing. The thing is that word of mouth happens (both in the negative and the positive) even if you are not actively working at it. And many entrepreneurs are so involved with selling that they forget about how important relationship-building is, and the impact word of mouth has, whether positive or negative. So I thought I would share a simple principle with you today.

The quality of your relationships is directly related to the success, or lack of success, of your business. It is essential to understand these relationships, and work hard at ensuring you develop and maintain the best possible relationships. This relates to your suppliers, your staff and your clients. The big mistake that many entrepreneurs make is to focus only on pushing a sale through, and thereafter, not being too concerned about these clients at all. This is such a short-sighted approach with potentially far-reaching, detrimental effects for your business.

There are three primary stages of building relationships with people, including clients. Let me explain these:

1. The first stage is initial contact where we have the opportunity to attract a client.
2. Next comes the rapport stage, which is where we establish a common ground conducive to making the client want to buy from us. (These first two stages are what most entrepreneurs focus on, although many don't fully understand the rapport concept.)
3. The third stage is arguably the most important. It is the trust stage, and this is often not effectively pursued by many entrepreneurs. This stage can usually only really develop after a client has made an initial ‘test’ purchase from you - it is once you’ve proven the value you offer via your product, service or both, that the trust stage can unfold fully. Once trust is established, clients will be likely to come back for more purchases, and refer others to you. This stage is what can really separate successful entrepreneurs from the many who continue to struggle.

I refer to this trust stage as giving some love. When we act with love, people sense that we care about what we are doing, the quality of the product or service we’re selling, about the outcome of customer satisfaction, and they sense that they can trust us. When you concentrate only on pushing a sale through, consider that you are doing serious damage by not evolving your relationships to the trust stage –it is during the trust stage that clients become loyal supporters bringing regular business, and spreading positive word of mouth. Think about it...and then go and give some love.

I hope you all have a great weekend.

Brian Walsh
Founder and CEO of Entrepreneur.co.za

Newsletter - October 2007

Good day,

We have plenty to share with you this month, as well as the wonderful news that for all the PE folk, Eastern Gifts and Things cc is proud to announce that we will - once again - have a stand at the Homemakers Expo at the Feather Market Centre next weekend. Do come and join us for what I am sure will be a wonderful festival!!

And before we get to the good stuff, just a reminder that our competition to win a R350.00 gift voucher is still running. All you have to do is sign up for our monthly newsletter and you could stand a chance to win this gift voucher. The competition closes 15 November 2007, so why not encourage your family, friends and colleagues to sign up as well? Simply follow the link to sign up: http://easterngifts.co.za/newsletter.php

I am not sure if you're aware of this, but Christmas is just on two months away. Well, 67 days to be exact. And my best friend yesterday informed me that she has already completed ALL her Christmas shopping. Now, I'm not sure how many of you will be as efficient as she is, or will wait till the last minute like most of us do, but allow me to share some excellent gift ideas from Eastern Gifts and Things cc (not only do we offer excellent gift ideas, but the chance to do all your Christmas shopping in the comfort from your home or office and we will take care of the rest).

We have gifts that cater for all tastes and all occasions, and we will deliver anywhere in the country.

Just some ideas:

These beautiful, handmade doorstops are an ideal and unique gift.

This beautiful cow door stop retails for R65.00. The beautiful pig door stop (seen below) also retails for R65.00.

If you're looking for something a little larger, why not try this Fat Striped Cat Door Stop. This door stop is 24 x 14 x 48 cm and retails for R165.00 (see picture below).

Yes, we do cater for everyone and every occassion - and we will pack it, wrap it and deliver it - anywhere in South Africa.

This beautiful chess set is handmade and depicts the English and the Zulu's warring. This handmade chess set as a four to six week delivery time and retails for R425.00.

Another idea for Christmas is

This elephant CD holder is also handmade and is very stylish - suited to anyone's home. The elephant CD holder can hold 10 CD's a side and retails for R475.00 (size: 35.5 x 20 x 24 cm).
Are you looking for a gift for the person in your life who is a cat lover? Well, we have a stunning range of cat figurines perfectly suited to this need. Our catch-all is a stunning gift idea - not only will it hold all your mail, post, but also has place for your keys, plus comes set to be fitted to any wall. The size is 16 x 7.5 x 65 cm and this elegantly made cat-figurine catch-all retails for R365.00.

In addition to the above, we also have a beautiful range of Christmas decorations, from snowmen napkin rings, to angels to Father Christmas - all handmade and not available on the retail market.

Please feel free to contact us if we can assist you in anyway.

Remember, we pack it, wrap it and deliver it - anywhere in South Africa.

For all your home decor, kitchenware and gifting requirements - log onto www.easterngifts.co.za.

Regards,
THE EASTERN GIFTS TEAM

Homemakers Expo (25-28 Oct 2007)

Hi, there

Just to let everyone know that Eastern Gifts and Things cc will have a stand at the Homemakers Expo in Port Elizabeth at the Feathermarket Centre from 25 to 28 October 2007. We will at stand LP163 - do come and visit us!!!

Remember, we are still running the competition to win a R350.00 gift voucher - simply by signing up for our newsletter: http://easterngifts.co.za/newsletter.php?osCsid=11da80d33d0bc29a698a1524e59927b6. Competition closes 15 November 2007.

Regards,
M.

Forest Hill, Port Elizabeth, RSA

Hi, there

I am looking for any and all information on Forest Hill, Port Elizabeth, South Africa - particularly relating to the 1940's, 1950's and 1960's. Does anyone have any idea on where I can get more information or does anyone have any information for me???

I am particularly looking for information on the Nel, Swartz, Palmer & Woolard families that lived there during these three decades.

Any information, references, research suggestions, etc can be e-mailed direct to me on info@easterngifts.co.za.

Thanks so much,

Regards,
M.

I think...

Morning,

Well, I think that I may just actually be enjoying this whole cooking thing afterall. And here I thought I was a modern girl, staying away from the kitchen and wearing shoes…

I just thought I’d share my new recipe with you - made last night for some friends who all thoroughly enjoyed it: http://easterngifts.co.za/chicken-mkaddam-souiri-a-41.html. This delicious Moroccan Tagine recipe was followed by Almond cookies (also a Moroccan delicacy) and delicious coffee. Not too shabby! Yes, I know, you are all wondering what the big deal is - well, the big deal is this: I have always hated cooking.

Now, I find myself thoroughly enjoying it. Preparation is easy - cooking is easy - clean up is easy. And you do actually (believe it or not) get tired of fast food after a while;)

For the Almond cookie recipe: http://easterngifts.co.za/almond-clove-cookies-a-42.html.

Enjoy!!! Anyway, a delicious meal and a few bottles of wine later, we were ready to head for bed!



Try the recipes and let me know what you think. There is plenty of information available on the site regarding Moroccan recipes and cooking.

Regards,
M.

P.S. Don’t forget our competition - win a R350.00 gift voucher simply by registering for the newsletter on our site. You could use the R350.00 towards a Tagine (just an idea…)

THE YEAR 1907

This will boggle your mind, I know it did mine! The year is 1907. One hundred years ago. What a difference a century makes! Here are some of the U.S. Statistics for the Year 1907:

• The average life expectancy in the U.S. was 47 years old.
• Only 14 percent of the homes in the U.S. had a bathtub.
• Only 8 percent of the homes had a telephone.
• A three-minute call from Denver to New York City cost eleven dollars.
• There were only 8,000 cars in the U.S., and only 144 miles of paved roads.
• The maximum speed limit in most cities was 10 mph.
• Alabama, Mississippi, Iowa, and Tennessee were each more heavily populated than California.
• With a mere 1.4 million people, California was only the 21st most populous state in the Union.
• The tallest structure in the world was the Eiffel Tower!
• The average wage in the U.S. was 22 Cents per hour. The average U.S. Worker made between $200 and $400 per year.
• A competent accountant could expect to earn $2000 per year, a dentist made $2,500 per year, a veterinarian $1,500 per year, and a mechanical engineer about $5,000 per year.
• More than 95 percent of all births in the U.S. took place at HOME.
• Ninety percent of all U.S. Doctors had NO COLLEGE EDUCATION! Instead, they attended so-called medical schools, many of which were condemned in the press AND the government as “substandard.”
• Sugar cost four cents a pound, eggs were fourteen cents a dozen. Coffee was fifteen cents a pound.
• Most women only washed their hair once a month, and used Borax or egg yolks for shampoo.
• Canada passed a law that prohibited poor people from entering into their country for any reason.
• Five leading causes of death in the U.S. were:
  Pneumonia and influenza
  Tuberculosis
  Diarrhea
  Heart disease
  Stroke
• The American flag had 45 stars.
• Arizona, Oklahoma, New Mexico, Hawaii, and Alaska hadn’t been admitted to the Union yet.
• The population of Las Vegas, Nevada, was only 30!!!!
• Crossword puzzles, canned beer, and ice tea hadn’t been invented yet.
• There was no Mother’s Day or Father’s Day.
• Two out of every 10 U.S. Adults couldn’t read or write. Only 6 percent of all Americans had graduated from high school.
• Marijuana, heroin, and morphine were all available over the counter at the local corner drugstores. Back then pharmacists said, “Heroin clears the complexion, gives buoyancy to the mind, regulates the stomach and bowels, and is, in fact, a perfect guardian of health.”
• There were about 230 reported murders in the ENTIRE U.S.A.!

Just Try to imagine….. What it may be like …… In another 100 years! IT STAGGERS THE MIND!

Wisdom of Larry the Cable Guy:

Wisdom of Larry the Cable Guy:

READ SLOWLY

1. A day without sunshine is like night.
2. On the other hand, you have different fingers.
3. 42.7 percent of all statistics are made up on the spot.
4. 4. 99 percent of lawyers give the rest a bad name.
5. Remember, half the people you know are below average.
6. He who laughs last thinks the slowest.
7. Depression is merely anger without enthusiasm.
8. The early bird may get the worm, but the second mouse gets the cheese in the trap.
9. Support bacteria. They're the only culture some people have.
10. A clear conscience is usually the sign of a bad memory.
11. Change is inevitable, except from vending machines.
12. If you think nobody cares, try missing a couple of payments.
13. How many of you believe in psycho-kinesis? Raise my hand.
14. OK, so what's the speed of dark?
15. When everything is coming your way, you're in the wrong lane.
16. Hard work pays off in the future. Laziness pays off now.
17. How much deeper would the ocean be without sponges?
18. Eagles may soar, but weasels don't get sucked into jet engines.
19. What happens if you get scared half to death, twice?
20. Why do psychics have to ask you for your name?
21. Inside every older person is a younger person wondering, "What the heck happened?"
22. Just remember -- if the world didn't suck, we would all fall off.
23. Light travels faster than sound. That's why some people appear bright until you hear them speak.
24. Life isn't like a box of chocolates; it's more like a jar of jalapenos. What you do today, might burn your butt tomorrow

A Grief Observed

A Grief Observed – C.S. Lewis
“No one ever told me that grief felt so like fear. I am not afraid, but the sensation is like being afraid. The same fluttering in the stomach, the same restlessness, the yawning. I keep on swallowing.
At other times it feels like being mildly drunk, or concussed. There is a sort of invisible blanket between the world and me. I find it hard to take in what anyone says. Or perhaps, hard to want to take it in. It is so uninteresting. Yet I want the others to be about me. I dread the moments when the house is empty. If only they would talk to one another and not to me.
There are moments, most unexpectedly, when something inside me tries to assure me that I don’t really mind so much, not so very much, after all. Love is not the whole of a man’s life. I was happy before I ever met H. I’ve plenty of what are called ‘resources’. People get over these things. Come, I shan’t do so badly. One is ashamed to listen to this voice but it seems for a little to be making out a good case. Then comes a sudden jab of red-hot memory and all this ‘commonsense’ vanishes like an ant in the mouth of a furnace.
On the rebound one passes into tears and pathos. Maudlin tears. I almost prefer the moments of agony. These are at least clean and honest. But the bath of self-pity, the wallow, the loathsome sticky-sweet pleasure of indulging it – that disgusts me. And even while I’m doing it I know it leads me to misrepresent H. herself. Give that mood its head and in a few minutes I shall have substituted for the real woman a mere doll to be blubbered over. Thank God the memory of her is still too strong (will it always be too strong?) to let me get away with it.
…
Meanwhile, where is God? This is one of the most disquieting symptoms. When you are happy, so happy that you have no sense of needing Him, so happy that you are tempted to feel His claims upon you as an interruption, if you remember yourself and turn to Him with gratitude and praise, you will be – or so it feels – welcomed with open arms. But go to Him when your need is desperate, when all other help is vain, and what do you find? A door slammed in your face and a sound of bolting and double bolting on the inside. After that, silence. You may as well turn away. The longer you wait, the more empathic the silence will become. There are no lights in the windows. It might be an empty house.
…
What can this mean? Why is He so present a commander in our time of prosperity and so very absent a help in time of trouble?
I tried to put some of these thoughts to C. this afternoon. He reminded me that the same thing seems to have happened to Christ: ‘Why hast Thou forsaken me?’ I know. Does that make it easier to understand?”

In loving memory of Martha Marsha, born 24 May 1923, died 03 October 2007
I miss you so very, very much!!!

Catching the Upswing on Men's Underwear

**************************************
Catching the Upswing on Men's Underwear
***************************************

"Provided a man is not mad, he can be cured of every folly but vanity." Jean-Jacques Rousseau

By Michael Masterson

It took Steven Lien only 30 days to turn a profit. His idea for a new retail store had been ridiculed by experts and mocked by friends. "Everyone was like, 'There's no way that will work,'" he told David Colman of The New York Times. Yet it did. His idea was to open a store that would sell unique and colorful offbeat brands of underwear to men. Although the market for men's briefs has been fixed firmly in a conservative range of monotone colors for years, Lien had the sense that this was changing. He wanted to capitalize on what he thought was the next hot trend in men's buying habits. He named the business Under U 4 Men. He chose Portland's business district for his first location. "I didn't open on Gay Street, USA," he said. "I opened on Main Street."

Novelty briefs have been around for a long time, but they weren't a big part of the men's cotton-knit underwear market until two or three years ago. Last year, for the first time, brightly colored briefs sold better than standard whites, claiming just more than 50 percent of the $1.1 billion market. Steven Lien wasn't the only one who noticed and took advantage of this trend. Some of the big companies were paying attention, too. American Apparel began advertising its line of briefs two years ago, and has already sold more than a million pairs. And a Canadian website called Ginch Gonch (Canadian slang for underwear) sold 1.8 million pairs last year at about $30 each, according to the company's owner.

Much of this trend has been initiated by women, apparently. Underwear, the experts say, is one of the few items of menswear that women buy more of (for men) than men do. But when the underwear the women buy is replaced by the men they buy it for, it will likely be with similar styles - which will mean continued strong sales for Steven Lien and his colleagues. This is part of a larger trend: the peacocking of the American man.

As a boy, I was taught (not directly, but by my father's example and by stereotypes on TV) that boys weren't supposed to care about clothes. That was the mythology we were exposed to, though the reality was very different. There were plenty of men and boys out there fussing over their wardrobes. My friend Paul, the toughest kid in our grammar school, was a great dresser (and still is). I did my best to dress well, but with a budget of literally zero to buy new clothes, I had to depend upon the accidental kindness of others - wealthier boys whose outgrown clothes made their way through the Catholic charities to my family.

Leave It to Beaver, a staple sit-com of my generation, epitomized the American attitude toward men's (and boy's) clothing. Mr. Cleaver and his sons appeared to be completely clueless about style, happily soiling their clothes while doing manly things with machinery (tinkering with the carburetor, fixing the lawn mower, etc.). And yet, they were always impeccably dressed in what we used to call "collegiate" fashion. Collegiate fashion was easy to adhere to. Chinos, madras shirts, penny loafers - the choices were limited. Formal attire was equally restricted:
The best suit was conventionally cut, with a single-breasted wool jacket and pants in blue or grey. Dress shirts were white. Socks matched your shoes. Only ties had color in them - conservative bars of angled stripes.

Had I not been a hand-me-down kid, I could have easily outfitted myself with a complete wardrobe in an hour's time at Hunter's, the local clothing store for men. It was simple. The idea was to wear clothes that made you look good without making you look like you wanted to look good. Given the very conservative approach we took toward dressing then, it should come as no surprise that there was only one choice when it came to
underwear: tighty-whities - and always Fruit of the Loom. (Was there even another brand?)

But that's all changed gradually over the years. In the past decade especially, a "new" kind of man has been blossoming. This is plainly evident if you know almost any men younger than 40. Say the word "product" to them and they will think "hair." The same word said to a man of my generation evokes some sort of manufacturing image. The new man has been dubbed a "metrosexual." He is said to be comfortable with his masculinity, much more so than his macho father, and much more comfortable with social changes that have taken place in recent years (such as the fact that women are often the primary breadwinners and that men are expected to do their fair share of the diaper changing).

Dealing with your baby's diarrhea is the downside of metrosexuality. Being able to openly concern yourself with your appearance is - we are given to believe - the compensation. Young men are completely knowledgeable about consumer goods that used to be considered "feminine." I'm talking not only about designer clothing, but also about skin treatments, highlighting, liposuction, body washes, hair removal, tanning lotions ... and fancy underwear.

What's the reason for this?

For better or worse, the baby boomers decided that it was sexist for men and women to play different social roles or even to look different. The objective seemed to be a sort of hybrid gender, with sexuality eliminated as much as possible.

That's the best spin I can put on it.

And it has been an interesting ride with some positive outcomes. It's easier and more socially acceptable for a man to be gay, effeminate, or merely foppish ... and that's a good thing. It's also permissible for women to bear arms and have their heads blown off. I suppose that's a good thing too - though it's still not acceptable for women to act like macho men.

Yes, men are becoming less manly in that old-fashioned, Rhett Butler kind of way that men of my generation aspired to. Today, it's okay to like shopping for clothes. It's even okay to spend time looking at yourself in the mirror. According to a 2005 Datamonitor survey ("Evolution of Global Consumer Trends"), 73 percent of European and American men rank standing in front of the mirror as important or very important (as compared to 72 percent of women surveyed).

With more men feeling that it's acceptable to buy and use products formerly used only by women, the personal care market has room to grow.
Worldwide sales of men's grooming products rose from $26.3 billion in 2005 to $29.7 billion in 2006, as reported in Courant magazine. And the Datamonitor survey predicts that the European and U.S. male personal care market will reach $37.6 billion in 2008.

The change in male buying habits - especially among younger men - doesn't stop with personal care products. The men's clothing industry, too, is seeing an upsurge. For example, an NPD Group Inc. study done in 2005 found that there was a five percent increase in men's clothing sales that year (to $53 billion). The increase was attributed to a 53 percent jump in the sales of suits, separate suit coats and trousers, and sport coats. And those sales were largely to men between the ages of 18 and 24.

Men are also venturing into shops more often to buy for the women in their lives. Donna Reamy, associate chair of Virginia Commonwealth University's fashion department, notes "Where it was a woman's role to shop, it's just not anymore." Plus, says Reamy, who compiles data on men's shopping habits, the number of department stores catering to men are at an all-time high.

Here are some other notable statistics:

The male grooming product market worldwide grew an average of 5.7 percent each year between 1997 and 2005. Men's bath and shower products and men's skin-care products led the way with 11.1 percent and 10.3 percent growth respectively (according to EuroMonitor International Research).

The spa industry has seen a growing market for male-only services (according to a 2006 Associated Skin Care Professionals survey).

31 percent of American spa goers are men (according to 2006 International Spa Association Research).

When you think of all the possibilities - not just in clothing and cosmetics but in health aids and information products and plastic surgery - you can see that the profit potential of this trend is enormous. And who will foresee the next ripple? It won't be me, that's for sure. If I wanted to get into it, I'd partner up with someone younger. Someone who uses face cleansers and wears colorful underwear. I'm not talking about a woman. I'm talking about the new kind of man.

Wine.

Wine!
October 1st, 2007 by easterngifts

Bet the title got your attention, didn’t it?

Yes, I do enjoy a glass of red wine with dinner every night, and whilst we’ve got some stunning recipies on our site (http://www.easterngifts.co.za/), I haven’t told you about where to get some wine to go with these recipes.



And speaking of wine and recipes, have you tried our stunning tagine recipes yet? The last I made was the shrimp tagine and I’m thinking its about high time I make another tagine. They’re easy, convenient and healthy (and ONE glass of red wine at night is good for you!:-)

But, what about your home? I’m talking about the financing and looking after your home?



Save money, enjoy a delicious glass of red wine (or white, if you prefer) and allow us to take care of your all home decor, kitchenware and gifting requirements.

Regards,

M.

P.S. Don’t forget our competition - win a R350.00 gift voucher simply by registering for our newsletter. Competition closes 15 November 2007.