Winter Displays

What are you featuring in your windows and front zone displays right now? Have you restyled them to reflect the season and provide fresh inspiration - or are you waiting for new merchandise to arrive? It's very simple to refresh existing merchandise to look new and appealing to customers. 

It's important to get a fresh start after the holidays - your customers will be coming in with gift cards, gift certs, and money they received, and they deserve to see fresh new ideas. Inspiring them to buy what you offer can be as simple as taking what you already have and combining it in a new way to reflect the season.

The display shown in the photo above features white Vietri pottery, along with gorgeous brown linens, whimsical dotted glassware, and of course a lovely wine. It's a perfect mix for this 'bridge' season of late winter - early spring. Simple, contemporary, classic, and warmth of color & textures draw the customer in. Huge bare branches bring nature inside - you could even hang crystals (or leftover snowflake holiday ornaments) from the branches to add movement and sparkle to the display. 

Most of the products shown here were in displays in the store for the Holidays - the white Vietri was paired with red linens and snowflakes. The brown linens were displayed with brown pottery and pinecones. Combining them creates a fabulous new look, inspires your customers, AND saves you money. Go out on your sales floor and look at the components you already have - what possibilities exist to rethink, restyle, and sell them at full price right now?

Image Credit: Taken by DWK 2007; courtesy of Columbia Winery

So Insane - The Musical Year in Review 2009

"Swing High" Photo from Charles Haynie - personal collection

Welcome to my 2009 playlist. It starts with my favorite concert of the year - The Avett Brothers at the Cuban Club. If you didn't make it, well I'm so so sorry. Look up their dates and do yourself a favor when they're close. I've heard all the discussion, they sold out, they moved on from their roots, they got families and babies. Well, life is about change. If the Beatles kept playing like they did on Help! then where the heck would Revolver or Sgt. Pepper's be? I say, let them grow for better or worse and in this fan's estimation, this record gets better every time it spins in my player. Listen to "And It Spread" and try to fight it, I dare you.

My friend Nicole, elawgrrl is an amazing photographer of music acts and a seriously dedicated fan of Lucero. She honestly won't stop talking about them so eventually I had to give in and give these guys a chance. I caught up with them on this album when they are catching a lot of flack for the same things that the Avetts heard about this year, namely losing their hard edge and adding things like horns to their music. So what!? This album is great and the song I chose "Hey Darlin, Do You Gamble?" is everything that whiskey marinated growling alt-country rock should be. This song will make you want to pack up your black t-shirt, your boots, and your cooler and follow these guys from dive bar to rock bar for weeks on end.

Grizzly Bear has been in the top 5 of Hype Machine for most of the year and the song "Two Weeks" is unavoidable in blog circles. I swear I heard it in Lowe's this weekend. Rather than get bored with a band so obviously blowing up, I can't help but fall for the layers in this thing. It's really beautiful and addicting. This is indie pop at it's best.

Amanda Blank's "Something Bigger, Something Better" has this sound effect that makes it sound a little too much like a knock off Paper Planes. That being said, I f$%^*(ng love Paper Planes still. So I don't really care, and this song is a classic floorfiller as far as I'm concerned. I found it in an uncharacteristically upbeat review from Nine Bullets - one of the best blogs going especially for fans like my buddy Nicole of hard-edged alt-country like Lucero and Jason Isbell.

N.A.S.A. was a massive album undertaking of rap superstars that mixed North American and South American styles and sounds. I made up my mind that I would find some rap I like this year as I am such an old school rap fan that I sound like I am 90 years old when I talk about today's rap music. This song Spacious Thoughts", is bada$$ and explodes at the chorus, Tom Waits anyone?! This is the year of Tom Waits if nobody told you yet. He's been all over and released an amazing live album called Glitter and Doom right before Christmas. I know what our boy Ernie from Nervous Turkey got in his stocking! (if you want to see how the harmonica was meant to be played - take that link to see Ernie at work)

A band that includes members of other bands including Vampire Weekend, Discovery blew me away with this little indie number called "So Insane". I don't need to say much about it because I just really love this sound. Indie and electronic and pop with some really nice beat and mood changes that echo that feeling of really not being able to control how you feel about somebody. This is definitely at the very top of the list this year.

There are two tracks from the XX on the cd. The first "Intro" is a really awesome moody instrumental in a world that doesn't make instrumental tracks anymore and that's all it took. By the time I made it to "Islands" I was hooked. This whole album is awesome. This is a young Brit band and I heard it described as makeout music for cool kids. I can't verify that, but maybe I'll have to try it out in the near future. Put it on and let me know how that goes...

"In My Dreams" from the Eels is a great track from an underrated songwriter E. Again, a great album, but I really liked this gentle and spacey sort of music when they get it right. This is what is affectionately called Nerd Rock like Weezer and many other bands I love. It's just a little introspective quiet tune but it gets stuck in my head a lot.

MGMT technically released this album last year, but I really didn't get into it until this year so I'm going to use a little flexibility and include it. Both "Time to Pretend" and "Kids" are great tracks, but I just had this one on repeat a little too much this year. I couldn't get away from it in all it's fuzzy electronic glory.

The next song from Metric is "Sick Muse" which falls into the classic unrequited love chick rock category and although classifying often takes away some of the fun of this, I love these kind of bands. I donated some of my hearing to an Elastica show in Dublin and don't regret it a bit. I hope you fall in love with her voice as quickly as I did.

The Low Anthem have managed to make a song in "Charlie Darwin" with all of the beauty and sadness of life and make it amazingly attractive. We realize that it all ends and yet songs like this make life worth the pain and heartache. It is the most beautiful song I have heard all year and it gets me choked up every time I listen. That's all I have to say about that.

To rescue us from the water that surrounded us in the last track I included "Pursuit of Happiness" from newcomer rap star Kid Cudi. This is a really awesome track with all of the attitude of a streetwise rapper and yet the intelligence of a good songwriter. This is the type of rap that I knew still existed yet it took my college-age nephew Kyle to educate me on it. It doesn't hurt that this remix includes MGMT and Ratatat.

Elvis Perkins brings out a track that is everything I love about great alt-country. This is what has me listening to the ND hour on wmnf on Mondays. The instrumentation of bluegrass and country with rock style and attitude. Angst and grit with excellent musicianship.

I finish up with one of my favorite bands, Wilco, who enjoy the notoriety of the "Saving Private Ryan Award 2009" which I give out to a great album that came out so early in the year that it gets ignored on most "Best Of" lists much like SPR that lost to "Shakespeare in Love" that came out later in the year. (My theory is that after that year, no "Oscar" movies are released before the fall according to Hollywood superstitions). Wilco makes great music and keeps adding new layers without changing too much. They might be a little stuck in a rut at times, but songs like "You Never Know" just get stuck in my Ipod and refuse to leave.

Thanks for indulging me!
-Charles

The cd of the year as it stands right now

1. and it spreads - avett brothers
2. hey darlin do you gamble? - lucero
3. two weeks - grizzly bear
4. something bigger, something better - amanda blank
5. spacious thoughts (feat. Tom Waits) - n.a.s.a.
6. so insane - discovery
7. intro - the xx
8. islands - the xx
9. in my dreams - eels
10. time to pretend - mgmt
11. sick muse - metric
12. charlie darwin - the low anthem
13. pursuit of happiness - kid cudi with mgmt
14. shampoo - elvis perkins
15. you never know - wilco

I've Been Blogged

Many thanks to the kind folks at Blogged, who have reviewed & rated my blog  - and listed it in the number one spot under 'retail design / shopping'. Much appreciated...

PS: Blog Catalog has me at number 4  under 'retail display' , and number 6 under 'retail design'. I have work to do, apparently!

For Trade Show Exhibitors...

Are you going to be exhibiting jewelry at a gift or retail trade show this season? Do you plan to submit your product to a showcase display (often referred to as 'Launching Pad', 'New Product Display', etc.)? If so, here are a few tips to help you maximize the visual impact of your product, and make the most of this marketing opportunity:

1. Make sure that you choose STUNNING pieces of your work for the showcase. Think scale, color, composition, and uniqueness. You want items that will make people take notice. Don't be conservative! Go for 'WOW' factor.
2. Provide plenty of product for display designers to work with. 3 or 5 pieces are perfect for a display, so give them six items: Two large, two medium, and two small.

Here's the important thing: Your choices should coordinate, because the display designers can do MUCH more with a cohesive grouping than a slapdash bunch of leftovers. Provide six items that are all in gold metal, or turquoise stones, but each one has a different 'personality'... one is chunky and modern, another is dangly and feminine, yet another is classic and simple. You want impact here, not a hodgepodge of items. Get customers to notice your product, drive them to your booth with this display - then show them your selection firsthand.
3. Provide props or fixtures to enhance the presentation and viewing angles of your products. If you use neck forms, paint them your logo colors to tell your brand story. If you use natural materials - rough stones, metals, woods, shells - in your creations, provide rocks, sand, chunks of wood, or moss to enhance the elements of your designs. If your jewelry is modern, send glass blocks or bubble wrap rolls or tall glass vases to hang the necklaces & bracelets on. Display stylists will love you, AND your products will look better.
4. Be creative when you show off your products. If your jewelry is small, dainty, and hard to see, provide papers, cards, anything you can to help focus attention onto it. Photograph your delicate items and send large photos along with just one perfect item on a neck form. Better to show detail in large scale for impact than to have it overlooked.
5. This may seem to be a no-brainer, but when you drop off or send in items for the displays, make sure that your information is with your product! You company name, booth number, and show division should be included in the container. The name and cell phone number of a person at the show who can be contacted is very helpful - if something is broken, missing, or there are any questions about your product, you want the display stylists to be able to contact you/your employee on site for a solution. Calling the home office two states away isn't really helpful when a replacement part is needed.

6. Beat the submission deadline. If your items are supposed to be there by noon, get them there at 9 AM. If you are supposed to mail them in by the 10th, get them there by the first. Be prepared. Be early. Why? First come, first served. Your position on a list means nothing when it comes down to fitting it all into a small area. All trade show display stylists can tell you that the early birds get the best spots. (And no amount of wheelin', dealin', whining or bitching is going to make up for the fact that you brought us your product two hours after the deadline. Or on your way out of the show hall that night. Or worse, early on the morning that the show opens. You're in the back row, lower level, baby. And we don't care HOW many years you've been selling at this gift show - in which case, you really should know better.) This is your marketing.... take it seriously.

7. Check on your product. Early on the morning the show opens, go over to the display and look at your product. Make sure it is displayed properly (not upside down, etc.) and that your information is correct - your business name, booth number, and show division are all correct on the tent card provided by the show. If there is something that needs to be corrected, let the stylist know. NOW is the time to correct it, not in three hours when the stylist is done and gone.
Please do not walk into the display to do it yourself. Do not move another vendor's items to give yours more space. Do not add or swap items once the display is set. These are professional stylists who work hard to make your product and every other exhibitor's products look their very best. Respect their work, and thank them for their efforts.

8. Look at your competitor's products in this display. What did they send? How is it displayed? Does it express their image well? Does it catch the eye and stand out? Learn from what you see others doing.

Many of these tips apply to other kinds of products as well, helping to elevate your merchandise above the ordinary. With a little preparation and planning, you can take advantage of many free and low-cost marketing opportunities like display showcases at trade shows. It's a great way to add to your presence and square footage at a show.

Photo Credits: DWK @ SGS & SFIGF 2007-8, of product displays created by DWK.
This post originally appeared here on my blog in 2008.

I send you all wishes for a very Merry Christmas!

You've done all you can do, my friends...

Step away from the store, and enjoy a day off.

Remember the Reason for the Season: LOVE.

H.U.G.E.

I'd like to introduce you to someone:

Oh, no, it's not really about Julia or Vivienne at all. It's about the fact that she's an incredibly happy, satisfied, loyal customer. One that is so happy, she'll spread the word about her experience with your products, service, and helpful staff to influential people. And to the competition...

Famous Last Words:

"Hi. I was in your shop the other day, remember me? 
You refused to help me. 

Big Mistake. H.U.G.E. "

(and if you have no clue what this is about, rent the movie 'Pretty Woman' and watch for the 'Shopping on Rodeo Drive' segment. LOTS of helpful retail info in there.)

The lesson? Treat every customer as an important customer, because they ARE. My friend & blog reader 'Bacchus' says it this way: "Treat every customer like they can spend a million, you never know which ones will."

Image Credits: Touchstone Pictures on IMDB, via Google image search

What can I give Him?

One of the missionaries here is an artist/author. Her name is Sister Meacham. She has published several children's books. For Christmas this year, she gave each of a print of this picture. For her, it represents the gifts that we give to the Savior. Each of us has something that is uniquely our talent that we can share with others. That is the gift we can give to Him. He gave us the gift to serve others, and if we use it, we have given the very best we can give.
I feel so blessed that I am here where so many sacrificed so much. I am so thankful to be a missionary and am allowed to represent the Lord, Jesus Christ in this portion of the vinyard.

Christmas at my House

So many kind and thoughtful people have shared Christmas with me. The decorations on the tree are from missionaries here in Nauvoo. The gifts around Snoopy and Snoopy are gifts from friends and family. I haven't opened everything yet because I wanted to have something to open on Christmas. What a blessed woman I am!!! Thank you to all who remembered me with cards and pictures and gifts and emails. I love you all. MERRY CHRISTMAS!

O Christmas Tree

Notice the Charlie Brown Christmas Tree? Linus and Charlie Brown say the lines from A Charlie Brown Christmas when Linus quotes from Luke 2. Isn't that what Christmas is all about?

A Foreign Mission

I keep saying Nauvoo is a foreign mission because most of my experiences are foreign to what I remember missionary work being. One such thing is the TV?DVD combo you see. But the Christmas is the Charlie Brown and the nativity. When my companion came in and saw all this, she said, "I love living with a kid". She couldn't have said anything more significant to me. I'm not a grown up, and I'm proud of it. If you haven't read The Little Prince that President Uchtdorf quoted in the Christmas broadcast, you won't understand, but to me, being called a grown up is an insult, so she gave me a great compliment.

Dining Room Table

The leaf on the table folds us, so that's where we eat. But this is the scene you would see as you walked in to the front door of our home. My companion found the tree that opens up to a nativity. I ordered the pryamida. I couldn't stand not having one. It wouldn't be Christmas for me without one. I made the stockings one night while my companion was at Rendevous at Old Nauvoo. She was very surprised to find them when she got home. Thanks to some very kind people sending some things and money, there will be things to fill the stockings on Christmas Eve. It might not be such a surprise to Geilmann, but I'm sure Longhurst has no idea what's coming.

My bedroom and Christmas

The picture on the wall is from Mongolia. It represents the rest of the Christmas. The "Tree of Life" is there (although the Mongolians don't see it that way). If you look closely, you can see animals stacked on each other helping one another reach the "fruit" of the tree. That's what this is all about. There are so many people who help me along the way. You will see some of my pictures. I have another wall that I have received for Christmas, but there's a lot of stuff there, so I didn't take that picture. You'll see my family, my mission family, my stake family, and my love of Germany that will ever be with me. You'll also see a "walking stick" made by one of the elders in the mission. He went out and found walking sticks for everyone in the mission, whittled away some of the impure parts and let us each choose one. There are so many kind people!

Tomorrow Night Cider and Cookies at TSM!

Calling All Last Minute Shoppers and Holiday Revelers.........
Tampa Street Market is throwing a last minute holiday party and sale. Tuesday 12/22 we will be open late (at least 9:00!) to entertain and accommodate all you holiday procrastinators. There will be holiday treats and cider as well as 20-75% off all items in the shop!

There is plenty of stock left in Green Guru messenger ad bags, Earthlust stainless steel bottles, Made By Survivors recycled rice bags, and we've just re-stocked Nested Yellow jewelry!

Come by to shop or just to help us celebrate the season!

-Amy and Charles

BELIEVE

This has been a very slow week as far as visitors to Nauvoo is concerned. We have had very few people here. But we were blessed to have some people today. I had convinced myself it would be another day of much reading. Instead, we had three tours back to back and I was allowed to conduct all three. It's amazing what a little bit missionary work can do for a missionary's belief in the work and hope for people to receive the gospel. I believe!!!

How Christmas feels different this year

Once a guy in the shop (more of a skeptic than a customer) asked me if what we were doing was just adding to the problem of stuff. "Stuff" is officially the root of all evil in some greenies eyes. If you don't believe in stuff at all then you eventually will find yourself living in a thatched hut made from roadside trash and eating the berries you collect and other food you can gather from the countryside. I am not that extreme, but I get their point. When you ask me what "stuff" I couldn't live without, I might say music, or my clothes, but yeah, can I live without my Ipod or a table for my porch? I guess so. I don't need a bunch of new stuff.

Christmas seems to have this mythology of stuff wrapped up in it. When I scan my memory banks for Christmas images, I think of trees and a stack of presents, and big buffets of food and friends and drinks and singing. That stack of presents though, shiny and imposing, is stuck there in my brain. Do kids really need a huge stack of presents to open to be happy on Christmas? I remember the excitement of Christmas morning. I remember sneaking in to see if the massive Hot Wheels set was ready for my racing skills at 4 am. I also remember opening presents that were just filler. They were like Cheetos, all puffy and air, wrapped in slick paper with little to offer. I remember toys that broke the same day. I remember the smell of the electric cars arcing on the track. I remember toys buried in my closet and never played with again.

Last year, the economy was tanking and people wanted to believe they could still give the Christmas they always had. People came out and bought presents and charged those cards and said "Dang it we will have a stack of presents!" This year is different though. We've been beat up all year with layoffs, paycuts, and credit card rate increases. People are searching for meaningful presents and (gasp!) buying less presents. Some folks have even made... their... own! I know, it is an interesting time. Christmas can change, and I hope it will change. People may buy less, but hopefully they will channel their spending to meaningful gifts. When I think of what I would trade the stack of gifts for, I think of time. I don't remember very many gifts I've received, but I remember playing with my brothers that morning in pajamas on a cold floor. I remember long rides in the car to grandparents' lunches on Christmas day. I challenge us all to make a few presents count and to really show that we know what our loved ones need. I hope we take the time to show them we care whether we can afford a present or not.

I love obscure Christmas music and the other day I received a cd from a friend in a handmade cd protector made from an old t-shirt sleeve. The first track was a Raveonettes Christmas song I had heard earlier that week. That is exactly how Christmas gifts should feel - handmade and thoughtful.

Next!

It's December 13th. 12 days 'till Christmas. Just 11 days left to sell, sell, sell.
Then a week to blow out the leftovers at ridiculously low prices.
That seems to be what everyone is focusing on right now, isn't it?

Not me. I wanna' know..... what are your plans for next month? Next year?

In the interest of stirring your imaginations and thoughts toward 'Building a Better Business in 2010', I'd like to revisit a post you may or may not have seen here before. It's got some great tips and ideas to help you envision your next year, so start imagining, start thinking, and start planning, my friends, because the new year is just around the corner!

It's always a good idea to get out of our day-to-day mindset and look ahead. Consider it the same thing as watching the weather segment on the news and waiting to see the extended forecast - we want to know what's coming up, how to plan, what to expect. In business, that can mean taking a singular message or concept, and creating a visual merchandising plan or an advertising or event plan that builds it from month to month or season to season. This basically tells your customers what to expect from you in the near future - and gives them something to look forward to. In retail psychology, it also creates a sense of urgency - a reason to buy NOW: 'Get this season's products before they are gone, and be ready to get the next season's hot deals as soon as they release!'

A few years ago, I created a visual merchandising design plan for Gene Juarez Salons here in the PNW. Although at the time all they asked me for were design concepts & proposals for Fall and Holiday, I went ahead and created concepts with stylesheets for Valentine's Day, Spring/Mother's Day, Spring/Youth and Summer. When I presented all six of the stylesheets to them in the meeting, they were blown away. My intention - along with getting the account - was to show them that I could work with their design team to brainstorm and create new ways to present the brand visually in cooperation with the seasonal programs they designed. In that, I was very successful.

I didn't get the account after all...actually, no one who pitched it did. The company was sold the next week and new management took over. In any case, it was a really good exercise for me in planning ahead. I was able to get into creative mode, play with color, style, concepts, and themes, and design a campaign that would build from one season to the next. One whole year of themes, built around one central concept... which is what GJ does flawlessly, year after year.

Their product is beauty. NO, it's not merchandise like hair gel and shampoo. It's not services like haircuts, massage, and facials. Those are just a means to an end, and a profit. What Gene Juarez Salons really offer women is beauty - which is based on providing them with the feeling that they are, each and every one of them, beautiful. And the key element in facilitating that feeling is a marketing campaign that makes beauty accessible, approachable, and attainable by a very wide scope of women. Advertising and merchandising make it clear that any and every woman can experience this at Gene Juarez Salons.

For each season, the color palette of the advertising collateral and product packaging reflects a new theme - but is grounded in the stylistic color palette that defines the GJ brand. That palette is all based around the colors of skin, hair, eyes, and lips. Yes, really! This brand image color palette is used by the Gene Juarez design team, which pulls colors from it for each season and creates a fresh new look six times a year. Beneath it all, the concept of Attainable Beauty reigns. Elements change, but that general idea is repeated. It IS the brand.

This approach is uber-successful. From teen girls to women in their nineties, the clients of Gene Juarez Salons all leave their appointments feeling beautiful, every season of the year. The loyalty of this customer base is legendary, second only to Nordstrom here in the PNW. It's a veritable heirloom, handed down by generations.

So, let me ask you...... what are you planning ahead for? 
How are you carrying your message, your brand, and your marketing forward into 2010 and beyond, to entice your customers to stick with you? How are you engendering loyalty and growth in your customer base each season, each year - THIS year? What are you offering that is new, fresh, exciting, to motivate your customers to plan ahead and visit your shop? 

Get inspired, and get busy....'cause you know what they say about 'failing to plan'. Right?

Image Credits: All stylesheets photos copyright DWK 2007; Gene Juarez and GJ stylistic logo copyright Gene Juarez Salons.

Live Nativity

Okay, I'll admit it, I'm not a great photographer. They sang and read the Christmas Story. It was nice. But the thing I want to point out is the couple who is in the shadows. This is John and Peggy Ricks, with whom I served in the Pageant. They were out casting for next year. They had looked all over town for me, and I came here just when they were here. The thing that meant the most is that they know I'm a capable individual, and they love me, as me. What a blessing to have good friends.

Pendleton School House

This story got to me. It was about an 11 year old boy whose mother died and he went to live with his aunt, who didn't love him, just took him in out of duty. But he had a teacher who loved him. He stayed around every night and helped out. For the week before Christmas he didn't stay. She wondered what the problem was and went to visit with him and he said, "I'm just busy." But the day before Christmas vacation, he waited around and then handed her a box. She opened it and it was "empty". He told her it was filled with love and love is the best gift. He told her he would always love her and when she looked at that box, he hoped she would remember that.

Print Shop

The print shop is where most of the printing in Nauvoo was done. This one was managed by John Taylor, whose home was right next door. The Christmas walk included The Night Before Christmas. The brother started to skip a line and without thinking, I corrected him. I read this to too many kids too many times, I guess.

The Post Office

This is the first stop we made on the Christmas Walk. Each year the missionaries host a walk through some of the sites and tell stories about Christmas in Nauvoo. This was a very touching one about a family who learned why the Atonement is really the best gift. You will notice the sister is out of focus because I wanted to get the pyramida. Even the early Saints in Nauvoo knew class when they saw it.

Holiday Bazaar this weekend Sat. Dec.12th

WMNF Holiday Bazaar this Saturday Dec. 12th 10-5 at the Cuban Club in Ybor City

This weekend brings one of our favorite events of the year. It gives us a chance to support WMNF and expose the listeners to our market offerings at a great venue. We always manage to find amazing stuff for Christmas (we love our 60's music posters from last year that are now displayed beautifully in our house). Also this is the absolute best time to round out our vinyl collection! Starting a vinyl record collection is a great green way to re-use existing recordings and stop buying classics on cd from those Big Box stores. Besides the un-matched sound quality, the art on vinyl covers just can't be appreciated the same in CD sized format. How would you begin to identify all of these people on Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band?

"Find great used books, cds, movies and audio equipment at WMNF's Annual Holiday Bazaar, plus works by some of the area's best artists and craftspeople, and entertainment from some great local musicians. "

Live Music
9:45 AM -- Almost Parker
10:30 AM -- Kelly Neff
11:15 AM -- Punctual Hippies
12:00 PM -- Rebekah Pulley (yeah!)
12:45 PM -- Parson Brown
1:30 PM -- Shana Banana
2:15 PM -- Juniper
3:00 PM -- Dean Johanson
3:45 PM -- Prince Emmanuel Abiodun Aderele

Need more info or want to volunteer?
Call Carrie Core at 813-238-8001 Ext 134 or email carriec@ WMNF.org

Nauvoo Temple on a wintery day

This is taken through the fog from the window in the cultural hall. I love that temple so much. The other day I had the opportunity to do work for one of my relatives. For the first time I felt connected to my family in Nauvoo. It was such a great blessing.

My Stage Debut

This was my companion from the MTC. Sister Steadman and I have been "chosen" to be the greeters of the Rendevous at Old Nauvoo. Actually, we were the only ones left without a part, and so that's what we were given. I love the part, however. We get to go around and talk to people before the show. Then we introduce the show, give the opening prayer and actually have a duet to begin it. This is my stage dress. I told the ladies here that I have never been dressed so well in my life. This is the first custom made dress I have ever owned in my life.

In case there's any doubt

My whole life I have been called a real turkey. I have irrevocable proof that I am. I participated in the Nauvoo Mission turkey gobbling contest. At first, I was the only woman, and finally some other sisters decided to participate. I think I'm a real shock to this mission. The couple that was responsible made these cookies and those of us who participated, got one. Embellishing from Much Ado About Nothing, "Let it be known that I am a turkey!"

Third Floor of the Cultural Hall

This is one of my favorite places in Nauvoo. On this very floor, the prophet, Joseph Smith, drew out the map of the Great Basin and the route west for Brigham Young. Levi Hancock then copied it onto paper and that was the map that Brigham Young took west with him in the migration of the Saints. Up top is where the Nauvoo Brass Band would have played when this was used as a ballroom. This was also used as the Masonic Hall of Nauvoo. There is such a special spirit in this room. I love going there even if it means climbing three flights of very steep stairs. This is also the room from which you can get the best shot of the Nauvoo Temple. I think of Joseph Smith drawing out that map and then looking at the temple knowing that he would not see its completion or the westward migration. I know he's a prophet!

Pounding the Pulpit

Just for John, I got this picture taken just before preparation meeting of me pounding the pulpit in the Seventies Hall. I had the chance to give the spiritual thought for prep meeting. I chose to speak on testimony and how the Book of Mormon affects the development of a testimony. I think Brigham Young and Heber C. Kimball would have been proud.

The Stage at the Cultural Hall

I know it doesn't look very impressive, but I did the decorations for the stage. We are given very specific guidelines and I was responsible for getting the Cultural Hall decorated for Christmas. You can see my scriptures sittingon the floor in front of the desk. This is where we perform Rendevous at Old Nauvoo each night, but during the day we give tours of the hall.

My companion

The lady standing in front to the left is my companion, Sister Longhurst. This is taken at the Seventieis Hall just prior to preparation meeting.

Windows Shopping - Core77 Gift Guide

Even though we will be spending less this year and trying to save our hard-earned cash, we all still enjoy window shopping or rather "Windows shopping" (chortle, snicker) on the web. Today I came across the Core77 gift guide. Core 77 has a design blog that lists products and topics that run the gamut from super sweet to ridiculously impractical. It's a fun guide to check out though with a few familiar faces like Green Toys and books like Design Revolution.

They also interspersed some pretty funny cartoons about inspirational gift ideas in the guide that poke fun at our own design and eco-snobbery. Here's a favorite:

Here's the link- enjoy!

-Charles

http://www.core77.com/giftguide