In these tough economic times, we tend to shrink back from spending. It's understandable, but perhaps there is some hope. You've heard of bailouts and stimulus packages, well this is a wardrobe bailout. We must not let this financial crisis affect our sense of style. On the 30th of January, 2009, Mandee launched a brand new store complete with full sized runway to create a fully interactive fashion / shopping experience. To celebrate the opening, and their 60th anniversary, Mandee are offering a special discount code to use when purchasing from their online store.

For a 20% discount on all purchases, enter the code: BAILOUT at checkout.

The following comes from the official press release:

New Mandee Store hits the runway with Grand Opening.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Totowa, NJ 1/24/2009 Mandee is proud to announce the opening of their new flagship location in Clifton, NJ. Mandee, a women's clothing chain primarily targeting the teenage and young adult market, is unveiling a fresh look in its Grand Opening of a 7,000 square foot store. Tricarico Architecture and Design PC headed up the project, creating an interactive experience that allows customers to feel as though they have stepped into their own fashion show, including a full size runway in the store.

This new concept is a key part of Mandee's long-term strategic plan, which aims to incorporate the Fashion Runway theme into every location. They wanted to create a fun and sexy atmosphere utilizing a runway format and graphics to preview the latest in fashion styles. From the fixtures to the color palette to the lighting, the Mandee 'runway store' is designed to make the customer feel like a true 'fashionista.'

And the time couldn't be better for the grand opening, as Mandee celebrates their 60th anniversary of bringing trendy fashion to consumers at affordable prices. Mandee was founded by 3 brothers 60 years ago on Brooklyn's Brighton Beach Boulevard. They knew the importance of building a brand long before people started writing books on the subject. Nothing was more important than getting the hottest fashion and the proper fit and delivering it to the customer at a great price. The new store is located on Route 3 in Clifton.
It is scheduled to open January 30, 2009.

The store will be offering for a limited time $7 flat rate shipping for ups ground domestic deliveries.

Mandee is geared towards a teen and young adult market so if you know of anyone who may benefit from this discount, please feel free to pass it on.

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These gorgeous emery pincushions are hand made by dottyral.

Egg - Sunny Side Up!


Peas - for the raw food enthusiast!


Please don't write in or contact the RSPCA, this is not a voodoo bunny, I repeat, no black magic here!! According to dottyral, it is in fact receiving acupuncture and requires regular treatment. No bunnies were harmed in the making of this pincushion.

Strawberry - Good enough to eat!

The emery inside the pincushions serves to sharpen the pins so they never get blunt. They are made from felt material and since they are hand made, each one is different!

technorati tags: sewing pincushions emery cute design dottyral hand made

Q: What to get for the geek who has everything?

A: Giant earbud speakers!!














This concept is very Escher. Or Dali. Or both. Whatever the origin, they would look great on your desk and could be useful during late night drinking sessions to confuse people ie. "go get my headphones". Fun and hilarity will ensue. All we need now is a giant iPod.


What's that, you say? There is such a thing?

The giant Google Earth iPod. Now, where do we plug them in?



But this was just an April Fool's joke created by Apple - there was no bet between Steve Jobs and Kerry Packer ... it's actually a Western Australian tailings storage facility. Perhaps iPod's are actually made out of tailings...

Maybe I can make a giant Steve Jobs that can be seen from space... but then I'd have to make a giant Bill Gates as well. But I'd have to use Microsoft Virtual Earth... In fact, we could take up the entire earth with advertising space... Dang this, I'm off to design my own system: LJP Earth. Advertising starts at Google dollars...

technorati tags: giant ipod bud earphone speaker google earth giant ipod steve jobs bill gatesmicrosoft virtual earth

Congratulations to Laura Davies, who won her second Australian Open this week. She is a deserving champion and her swing has to be seen to be believed. Many of the commentators have all but written off the more experienced players, expecting the younger players to automatically win because of their age. Wrong!! You cannot write off players like Laura Davies or Karrie Webb, and you certainly cannot underestimate their ability, creativity and ingenuity to recover and mount a winning charge.

Karrie Webb was visibly disappointed with her performance but she is still Australia's best golfer and no doubt we will see her winning again in no time. She was gracious enough to give me her autograph, even though she probably would rather have been somewhere private to reflect after the game.

During the presentation, I was glad to discover that all proceeds from the Australian Open ticket sales will go straight to the Red Cross Bushfire Appeal. The haze from the fires was still visible throughout the tournament. It was a proud moment and I commend the organisers of the event for their generosity.

A small but important note to the Australian Open organisers: Please set up the will call office/tent at the MAIN entrance to the golf club. This will ensure that people can actually find the entrance and get in. It would also help if the attendant at the main gate had a clue where the other entrances were located so he doesn't send people off in the wrong direction, down the wrong street and headed for nowhere.



Were it not for the extremely kind guy in Car Park B who gave us a lift after we had been walking for at least ten minutes in the wrong direction in hot sun, we would not have found the entrance, which was a poorly marked, unlabeled side street leading to a long dirt road between a football oval and a primary school, at least a couple of kilometres walk from the front entrance. How anyone expected people to find this secret hollow is beyond me. Thank you Car Park B guy, you know who you are and you are a legend.

I received a great lesson from one of the Golf Pros from Drummond and found out much about my swing and the appropriate clubs to use. I didn't realise the importance of club fitting and consultation.

When I swung a hybrid Callaway Diablo for the first time, I realised what I could actually achieve with the right equipment. I was suddenly hitting the ball further than I have ever done in my life. I have always been curious about hybrids for some time, now I realise why they are so popular. It's simple - they are so easy to hit. I also discovered that because of my height and strength, I should not be using standard womens' clubs. Instead I fall in between the male and female clubs categories and I need taller clubs to make them easier for me to hit. I now realise that many of my clubs are probably too short for me. But I can't complain, I got them for $5-$15 each!

I will be shopping for new additions to my set, including the new tour Callaway x-22 and possibly one of the new Diablo drivers. The prices are reasonable at the moment - they can be found for $80-$100 each (excluding the driver!) on sale. I will be checking Drummond Golf and House of Golf for new specials and be sure to check the "Hot Specials" page for new deals this week.

technorati tags: Laura Davies Australian Open 2009 Karrie Webb golf callaway diablo x22

The Red Cross Bushfire Appeal urgently needs blood donations to assist the burns victims injured in the terrible fires throughout Victoria.

If you are between the ages of 16-71 and weigh over 45 kilos, you may be able to donate blood. The process of giving blood takes from 5-10 minutes, not including time for filling out a questionnaire and recovery time.

Please check the Red Cross Blood Service site for further conditions. If you need more information on eligibility, check the FAQ section or take their quick quiz.

technorati tags: give blood donate blood red cross bushfire victoria appeal 2009