After sailing through an uneventful Easter, I realized Mother's Day was in fact just around the corner. I don't know why, but I started thinking about the how and why of Mother's Day. Of course we all know the obvious reasons we celebrate the day, but I knew there had to be something more behind the celebration besides it being just a Hallmark inspiration.
Sure enough, Mother's Day was originally conceived as a very noble gesture, and was celebrated in the most simplistic manner-A day at church with everyone wearing a white carnation. Almost immediately though, the day evolved into a commercial enterprise run by greed hogs and profit mongers. After spending a couple of days mulling over this new information I realized that this outcome was inevitable. I mean if you think about what we had available back in 1914 when Mother's Day was proclaimed a National Holiday, in comparison to what we have today; how could it not have evolved into this huge cash cow 95 years later?
Cash Cow or Not. It's Mother's Day!
Regardless of how commercial Mother's Day has become, you know you're going to buy a gift for 
your mom. So with that thought in mind I went 'shopping' to see what unique gift selections are available this year. Once in a Blue Moon Online Thrift Store was my first stop because believe it or not we have many new items that are suitable for gift giving: First item on my list is a Mother's Day plate by Bing & Grondahl. This plate is from 1971 and is called Kittens. It's priced at only $8.00.
your mom. So with that thought in mind I went 'shopping' to see what unique gift selections are available this year. Once in a Blue Moon Online Thrift Store was my first stop because believe it or not we have many new items that are suitable for gift giving: First item on my list is a Mother's Day plate by Bing & Grondahl. This plate is from 1971 and is called Kittens. It's priced at only $8.00.
Another great idea-The new Star Trek movie is due to be released on May 8, 2009 and lo and behold we have the Star Trek 25th Anniversary plate available. If you're mom is a Trekie, how cool would it be to give her a couple of movie tickets along with the 25th Anniversary collector plate? I'd say very cool for a Trekie.I stopped by our Outdoor Decor category where we have wind chimes, bird
feeders, bird houses and even a lovely candle holder. This is all new merchandise and any one of the items would be something mom would love and enjoy for many years.
feeders, bird houses and even a lovely candle holder. This is all new merchandise and any one of the items would be something mom would love and enjoy for many years.What about a book? If your mom is a collector of antique books, we have some really nice books available. To name just one author, we have two Lucy Fitch Perkins early 1900's books. We also have dozens of cookbooks available. These would be great for a mom that loves to cook new dishes. Lastly, we have a very neat National Geographic Atlas of North America-The space Age Portrait of a Continent. This book has some of the most awesome space photos, as you would expect from National Geographic. If this book isn't right for mom, Father's Day is in June!
Every mom loves jewelry, right? Right! So is it any wonder I would make a stop in our Pendants and Pins category where almost all items are new and therefore suitable for gift giving? I chose the Russian brooches to spotlight because of their beauty and also because of their collectibility. These wearable art pieces are hand painted on Mother of Pearl by artisans of Russia and these particular pieces were originally picked by me through a Russian friend. We have 2 sizes and 3 designs to choose from.
Finally, you must visit our Amazon Store. The link is on our site. I found this Smartparts SP72 7-Inch Digital Picture Wood Frame with Beige Matting(Espresso) for only $45.98-Reduced from $79.99. Add your own photo to personalize. This is for sure the lowest price I think I've ever seen a digital picture frame priced. This may be worth a look see.
There are plenty more items on our site that would also make an appropriate gift, but half the fun of buying a gift is hunting for it too. So I'll leave that up to you.
Before heading on home from my day of shopping I made one last stop at a site called Kolobags. 
This is a one-stop shop for everyone looking for technology fashion without compromising on style. The online boutique (www.kolobags.com) offers the widest array of designer laptop bags, specialty bags and technology accessories. You'll find a price point for every pocket book and a style for all tastes. One other
note to self: Check out their re-bagz. They're environmentally friendly items and since Earth Day is/was April 22, 2009 it's an appropriate gift. I think Earth Day should be every day, but no one asks me for my opinion. The re-bagz are made with either recycled rice sacks or recycled juice packs. The product line-up is business card holders to laptop cases and they're all on sale now!
This is a one-stop shop for everyone looking for technology fashion without compromising on style. The online boutique (www.kolobags.com) offers the widest array of designer laptop bags, specialty bags and technology accessories. You'll find a price point for every pocket book and a style for all tastes. One other note to self: Check out their re-bagz. They're environmentally friendly items and since Earth Day is/was April 22, 2009 it's an appropriate gift. I think Earth Day should be every day, but no one asks me for my opinion. The re-bagz are made with either recycled rice sacks or recycled juice packs. The product line-up is business card holders to laptop cases and they're all on sale now!So that was my last stop. I hope you enjoyed your day of shopping as much as I did. Maybe we can do it again next week.
Postage is Increasing Again!
Yes, another raise to postage rates. This time they're hitting 1st class mail, which is going up to .44 cents from .42 cents. Also rising in price is Media Mail, Parcel Post (Huge increases of over a dollar per weight category) 1st class parcels, and 1st class flat mail. Priority Mail will see no change. The new rates take effect on Monday, May 11, 2009. Once in a Blue Moon Online Thrift Store will not be adjusting our shipping rates.
Follow up
I finally finished fixing all of the photos with the exception of books. There are 8 pages of books and I just couldn't face another page of photos. I will finish them though. The changes I've been making will decrease the amount of disk space I require, which is a huge plus. But going through some of the photos, I'm ashamed at the quality. Some day when I have nothing better to do, I'll reshoot all the bad photos.
I think by the first of next week I'll be in a position to start adding new merchandise. I know some of my customers are always happy to hear that news!
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