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December 4-17, 2006
ephemerala
December 4-17, 2006
New Items
Wow, we have a lot of new stuff!
Figured it was high time to dust off the stuff that's been on this list
for, oh, I don't know, like three years now, and get it listed on the site once
and for all!
Didgeridoos
The haunting, eerie sound of Australia. I've been buying Didgeridoos
for several years now, and I keep selling them "in person" (i.e. at festivals)
before I can photograph and list them on the site! We now have three
fabulous 'doos available. Each has primitive stylized animal paintings,
and the mouthpieces are already waxed and ready to go. (Experienced
players may wish to alter their wax mouthpieces to better fit them, but I was
able to get good drone out of each one the way they are, so you'll be fine
even if you don't alter it.) Playing a Didgeridoo takes some practice
(there are websites that can show you how), but when you get it, it's totally
worth it. I used to play mine on the front lawn to scare the
neighbors. They are awesome.
TRIVIA: You may have heard that Aborigine women are not permitted to play
the Didgeridoo. It is something of a religious instrument, and while I
don't know the complexities of it, the bottom line is that it is forbidden to
women. I am the type who likes to be respectful of other cultures, so
when I got my first Didgeridoo, I looked for more information about the
taboos. Turns out that while Aborigine women are not supposed to play
them, nobody cares if white women play them. So I'm safe!
Bamboo Walking Sticks
These are nice burnt wood design walking sticks. We have only three
available, three different sizes, so if you want one, be quick about it.
Bali Mahogany Masks
When doing Peach
Days a few months back, I went ahead and put these on the table, but in a
sort of hidden area, because they are kinda scary. I didn't want to
frighten the children! My kids can't look into The Dungeon without shuddering
at the two creepy faces staring out at them in the semi-dark. I have two
left. Check 'em out.
Presentation Ideas
'Tis the season to think about gifting, and you beaders out there are going
to need something to wrap your necklaces and earrings in, right? We have a
small selection of cute presentation ideas for small gifts. Enjoy the new
items below, but don't forget all our other boxes and bags here:
Metallic Gift Bags
I got these to round out a wholesale order one day last year (wholesale
prices are great, but there *IS* that hundred-dollar minimum to think about...),
and there are too many for my family to use. They are really small,
perfect for all types of jewelry. A white gift box or ring box will fit
very nicely in one of these. Choose from five different colors--and they
have gift tags too.
Large Metallic Purse
Several colors of metallic lamé fabric. Good for chunky necklaces,
boxed jewelry, or several small gifts together.
Small Metallic Purse
Same fabrics as above, much smaller size. Think rings, earrings,
pendants.
White Gift Box
An all-purpose cotton lined box.
Black Velvet Ring Box
I got these for myself, to hold the four rings I bought to commemorate the
births of each of my children, and ended up with a lot left over (wholesale
strikes again). These are your standard velvet boxes, elegant black, the
obvious choice for any ring gift.
Gray Earring Cards
I bought these to display my stud earrings at Peach
Days, and have a ton left over. If you have errant studs in your
jewelry box that need to be put into pairs, these are great for you. You
can also use these for gift-giving. They measure about an inch square, so
you can't use them for huge earrings, but studs and small, lightweight dangles
work fine with them. Just ten cents each, so you can buy as many as you
need and a couple of spares!
Toys
Here are the rest of the educational toys!
Human Powered Light Bulb
It works! True, it's better if the air in the room is REALLY dry
(it needs a lot of static electricity to work), and you're not going to be able
to read by it or even see where you're going in the dark, but this is still one
darn good party trick. Hold one wire and walk across a carpet in socks in
the dark. The tiny bulb will light up. Coooollll.
DNA Kit
I held back on listing this because I cannot, at this time, give it a
personal recommendation. My son requested these because he's into science
and chemistry, but at 10 years old he's ALMOST too young for it. It's
definitely not a "Here honey, go have fun" type of toy. It takes some
dedication. And planning. And an onion. But even though we
haven't tried it yet, I'll still make it available for anyone who DOES have the
time to try it. (And when you do, let me know how it works!) This
kit allows you to isolate DNA. Should be a really cool thing for smart
kids.
Crystal Tree
These are so fun! I wish we had a good picture, but we forgot to take
one with our sample tree. Anyway, it's a little paper tree on a plastic
stand, nothing fancy, and you pour this special crystal-growing water into the
stand. Just a few hours later you get a fluffy little multicolored crystal
tree! When it's fully grown (after about a day), it will last weeks with
extra-special care, or about ten seconds with grabby kids. It makes a good
pre-party activity for impatient kids (keeps 'em out of the kitchen for a few
minutes too, and we all like that), and when the guests arrive the tree will be
half-grown already!
Wood Earth With Multicultural Kids
I adore this. My kids have one, and I am giving one to my little
niece, and I think it's fabulous. It's a wooden globe filled with eight
little multicultural children. It's sturdy and will last forever with good
care. I must warn that the globe itself is somewhat sloppily painted (not
a lot of definition in the continents; slightly stylized), but the overall
effect is fabulous. Peace on Earth!
Metal Balancing Figures
These are cute and entertaining. Assorted wire figures that balance
on precarious stands.
New Rocks & Crystals
Quartz Crystal Point
These are B-quality, which means they are occluded and/or rough and/or
chipped, etc. They are a good price and will make great stocking stuffers
for anyone who is interested in geology. Kids love these.
Tangerine Quartz Crystal Points
These are sorta weird. From what I understand, there are iron
impurities in the Quartz as it grows, or maybe after it grows, or something, but
anyway, these transparent points have a strange orange hue. Definitely not
your usual display piece. Try one out; you'll like it. (These points
make good wire-wrapped pendants, too!)
Selenite Wands
Selenite is a fiber optic stone, so light travels through from the long end
to the other. These are rough wands. Pretty nice quality, if you
like Selenite.
Herkimer Diamonds in Various Sizes
We've gotten in a LOT more Herkimer Diamonds, and have sorted them into
sizes. A few of these are going to be slightly occluded, but most are
pretty clear, and the tiny ones are perfectly water clear.
Pictures of Dice
We listed our Gemstone Dice a few months back, without pictures. Now,
we've got pictures. So if you didn't know before what a pair of Lapis dice
would look like, you know now.
Coming Soon
Look at how we reduced this list!
Tons of New Chip/Nugget Beads (will be listed in a month or
less):
Purple Shell, Sky Quartz, Seraphinite, Bronzite, Chrysocolla, Chrome
Diopside, Gem Silica, Herkimer Diamond, Imperial Topaz, Larvikite, African Green
Jasper, Bauxite, Clay, Tektite, Brown Zebra Jasper, Gaspeite, Fossil Coral,
Black Water Jasper, Green Prase,Spurrite, Primavera Stone, Jacinth
Bone Perfume Bottles
Assorted Beaded Bracelets & Necklaces
Stone "Egg" Rings
Mood Rings
Bamboo Wind Chimes
Fossil Shark's Teeth
Solitaire Boards for Marbles
Stone Fun Facts
Snowflake Obsidian
** Please see general information about Obsidian
HERE.
** Snowflake Obsidian (also known as
Flowering Obsidian) is formed when ashes (called phenocrysts) get caught in the
cooling lava and form the white-gray cristobalite that makes the "snowflake"
look.
** As the volcano brings the liquid glass to the surface, so does
Snowflake Obsidian bring emotions to the surface of the brain. Both positive and
negative things are brought to the surface, where the wearer is better able to
examine and deal with them.
** Crystal healers use Snowflake Obsidian to
transform negative energy into positive energy, so it is a good stone to use at
the beginning of a healing session.
** Snowflake Obsidian is said to lessen
fear, bad dreams, anxiety, and grief. It helps the wearer become more aware of
danger in order to stay safe.
Please see our Stone Fun Facts
here:
News & Stuff
Re-Tooling of Coupons
As of the last two weeks, our repeat customer coupons have been changed to
reflect our new coupon redemption ability. Now, instead of offering a
$1-off shipping choice, we've been sending out coupons good for $2 off any
purchase of $10 or more. However, it occurred to me that since CityMax
only allows us ONE redemption opportunity per order, this means that customers
are unable to use their coupons if they also wish to use a sale. For
example, if I set a Weekly Special of 10% off all purchases, and gave a coupon
code, you could enter that code into the coupon code field, OR enter the code on
your repeat customer coupon, but not both. I may have to put "Cannot be
used with any other discounts" on the coupons. Let's have some feedback on
our new coupons!
Mystery Stone Suggestions
** Four people suggested Bloodstone. This is
incorrect, as Bloodstone is a Jasper with impurities giving the dark green some
small reddish dots. Our Mystery Stone is obviously comprised of different
minerals in "chunks," and the colors are not right for Bloodstone either.
** One person suggested Granite. This is closer, but
I am not sure. The stone does have a "rocky" consistency, but it is much
lighter than you'd think Granite would be. Plus, I haven't yet found any
Granite of such bright coloring.
** One person admitted to not knowing, but says she has some jewelry made
out of the same stone, so when we find out, she'll know!
Otherwise, we still don't know what this stone is. Just take a good
look at the picture, burn that picture into your cranial matter, and if you
should ever come across some info about it in the future, check it out and let
me know! Until then, we're still billing this as a Mystery Stone and
offering a freebie to anyone who correctly identifies it!
LAST CHANCE TO ENTER the Secret Santa
Program
This is it--the final call. If you want to be involved in the Secret
Santa Exchange, you HAVE to enter your name right away. The entries will
be collected on December 5, and each entrant will be randomly assigned a person
to buy a gift for. It's sure to be fun, and a good way to be surprised
with something you'd like! Just submit your wish list and wait for your
package!
Fortnightly Sale
Pending Sale...
We are trying something interesting this year. Instead of one sale,
we are going to have a "Twelve Days of Christmas" sale. Twelve days before
Christmas (December 14), we are going to offer 14% off of all merchandise with a
special coupon code. One December 15, the sale will go up to 15%
off. And so on until Christmas, when the sale will top out at 25% off ALL
MERCHANDISE.
On December 14, each Newsletter subscriber will receive a quick e-mail with
that day's coupon code in it. These will not be our regular Newsletters,
as we don't want to appear to spam you; they will merely explain the sale and
contain the coupon code for that day. If you don't with to get these 12
e-mails, let me know. The sale will also be posted on the Sale page on the
website every morning, so you'll be able to see it there too.
THERE IS ONE CATCH: We are offering this special on
in-stock merchandise ONLY. If we have it on hand, we'll send it. If
we are sold out, we'll eliminate it from your order and send the remainder of
your order. We will not be back-ordering any items during this sale.
So shop early for the best selection, or shop late for better discounts.
Until December 14, we will let last fortnight's sale (2-for-1 Heart
Pendants) ride, so if you haven't gotten your Hearts yet, you still have a week
and a half.
This Fortnight's Sale is good through December 13,
2006
Twelve Days of Christmas Sale is good through December 25,
2006
Penny Sale
Every two weeks, I hide a new special offer somewhere on my online
site. This listing will offer a certain product for ONE CENT, with any
purchase of $10.00 or more. The item and its location will change every
two weeks, so be sure to look often. Simply go to my online store
site:
and browse until you find the hidden listing. Add it to your cart,
along with the rest of your $10.00+ order, and it will be included for just a
penny. Happy Hunting!
(Recent keen-eyed customers got a FANCY JASPER CHIP
BOTTLE for a penny. What will you be able to get this week?)
Insider's Special
Free Turquoise!
Since Turquoise is the official birthstone for December, I'll be giving
each of my subscribers a Turquoise freebie with their orders of $10 or
more. We'll try to make the freebie similar to what you ordered (beads if
you buy beads, pendant if you buy pendants, etc.), but if you order something
for which there is no Turquoise equivalent, we'll surprise you! As always,
please drop me a line to let me know you're a subscriber, so I'll know to add
the freebie to your package.
This Fortnight's Insider's Sale is good through December 17,
2006
Last Fortnight's Top Sellers
(You know you want to be just like everyone
else!)
1. Gemstone Eggs
2. Gemstone Marbles
3. Gem Chip Bottles
4. Abalone Beads
5. Pearl Beads
6. Larimar Chip Beads
7. Sapphire Chip Beads
8. Chrysoprase Chip Beads
9. Carved Stone Pendants
10. Charoite Chip Beads
That's it for this issue. Talk to you
again in two weeks.
--Suzanne Dallapè
eBay user ID: ephemerala
Visit my online store:
Please pass this newsletter to anyone you think might be
interested.
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-- 4200 Positive transactions
to date...
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