Wee Ninja

How cute is this??? This cute little ninja would be a darling little companion. Get yours!

If August Comes - Can Christmas be Far Behind?

Wow, it's already August and that means it's time for shop owners to start thinking about Christmas. At Serendipity, we are making plans now for our Christmas Header in our shop. That is always a fun part of the job - choosing photos, getting background colors (last year we used mostly blues and reds) and planning a layout.

Last year's header

We always offer complimetary gift wrap so here is a picture that resembles what one of our wrapped gifts looks like. We're considering getting a couple new boxes this year. Right now, we offer the poinsettia and a glossy red box.

Some of our best sellers at Christmas (and all year 'round) are our travel mugs so we will probably increase our mug inventory.

One of the things we do at Christmas is publish USPS and UPS shipping calendars and we make a chart letting folks know that if they order by a certain date, these are the carriers and methods available to them. This is a little time consuming but it is well worth it so that we always keep our customers informed. Here is an example of our shipping chart.

We network all year long but we especially network as it is getting closer to the holidays. We love to cross-promote and showcase other businesss owners. This year we might try to make a shopping list of must-see shops, so if you would like to be included, please contact us at info@serendipitycollections.com.

Have fun, everyone, getting ready for the holidays!

"Ultimate Summer Read" Bookmark
Originally uploaded by jbguess

OMG, just found another MUST-HAVE from Jessie! Be sure to see all her creative products at http://www.jbguess.etsy.com

no-major-appliances
Originally uploaded by jbguess

I LOVE this card! Another one of my good friend Jessie's amazing artwork! See her Etsy Shop at http://jbguess.etsy.com today!

Precious Quilts: A christening!

Precious Quilts: A christening!

USB tulip hub

Just looks like fun!. Great when you need an extra USB port. I think this would brighten that sterile high-tech area! Cute idea.

Cool Salad for a Hot Summer Night

Layered Pea Salad




6 cups bite size pieces of ice-berg lettuce
2 medium stalks of celery, thinly sliced
(1 cup) 8 medium green onions, sliced
1/4 c. chopped red pepper
1 package (10oz) frozen green peas, thawed and drained
Chopped hardboiled eggs
12 slices bacon, crisply cooked, drained and crumbled
1 cup mayonnaise
1 cup plain yogurt or sour cream
1/2 cup shredded Cheddar cheese salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

Place lettuce in a 9" by 13" glass baking dish (or in a large glass bowl). Layer the celery, onions, red pepper, peas, bacon, cheese, salt and pepper and hardboiled eggs.

In a separate bowl, combine the mayonnaise, and sour cream or yogurt. Spread this mixture like you are frosting a cake over the top. (sprinkle the top with a little extra cheese for a garnish.) Cover and refrigerate at least 2 hours to blend flavors but no longer than 12 hours.

Feel free to experiment with seasonings (spice it up with cayenne pepper, horseradish sauce) and add more layers of other ingredients (for instance broccoli or cauliflower).

Great salad for a hot summer night!

Bon Appetit!

Blissliving Home Anis Bedding

I found this pretty bedding set on ThisNext. Love the black and white with little splashes of color!

Giant Microbes - Penicillin

These little stuffed "animals" are hilarious. My husband sells medical supplies and equipment and has purchased a number of these for one of his customers, who collects them. I have seen many of these and they are just too cute! Unique gift idea!