Check out our Bonanzle booth: The Girly Girl Shop!

Victorian Rabbits, Hats And The Kentucky Derby

And here we have my bunny Jasper or as she likes to be called "Lady Jasper". "Lady Jasper" thinks she is a distant cousin to Queen Elizabeth. Here she is modeling a victorian bonnet or touring hat. She is deciding what hat to wear for the Kentucky Derby. "Lady Jasper" will bop into The Savvy Fashion Hound from time to time, perhaps modeling another hat.

I've always loved hats, although my head or maybe it's just all my hair has kept me from wearing them unless I have one custom made or find the right one. I even used to sell them in my retail space in Woodstock. Not just cute newsboy caps but large brimmed beautiful hats with silk flowers, netting and bows. It took a special customer to want a hat. My mother and I used to wonder why women just didn't wear hats anymore. Guess they just were afraid of the dreaded "hat hair".

One place you will always find exquisite hats is the Kentucky Derby. The Kentucky Derby held the first Saturday in May is steeped in tradition. The history of Derby hats goes back over one hundred years and this year over 90% of the women attending will be wearing fashionable hats.

Polly Singer of Couture Hats & Veils in Lexington, Kentucky is an internationally known hat designer for Kentucky Derby hats.

As you can see there are many styles for the Derby. Victorian hats are my favorite and East Angel Harbor has both Victorian and Edwardian styles. They are all beautiful. If you're crafty, you can always embellish a hat by adding your own flowers, ribbon and even feathers! Although clothing has become more casual hats still are a great form of expression in the world of fashion.

Curious Hound has hats from time to time. Please check back often. We have adorable straw hats and matching handbags for little girls available accented in peach or lavender flowers.

Get A "Real" Job!

About 2-3 years ago when I was in the height of my eBay Powerselling (I have since slacked off a bit) I had a conversation with a professional person who worked for a larger local employer. They had told me of their recent promotion and gloatingly asked me "Are you still making crafts?" Now I enjoy making crafts and have since I was a kid but the sarcastic tone made me ashamed to even be on the same street as this person.

I replied yes, but that my eBay business was really doing well and how much I enjoyed it. They looked at me and said "Oh, but don't you have a real job too?" I replied "That is my REAL job!" Now to tell you the truth their reaction really didn't surprise me. I had run across it at business mixers and chamber events but it has always made me wonder why doing something for a living out of your own home that is fun and profitable is not considered a real job.

Here are some definitions of job from Dictionary.com:

a piece of work, esp. a specific task done as part of the routine of one's occupation or for an agreed price: She gave him the job of mowing the lawn.

anything a person is expected or obliged to do; duty; responsibility: It is your job to be on time.

an affair, matter, occurrence, or state of affairs: to make the best of a bad job.

To make the best of a bad job??? Well, there you go - we must be conditioned to think that work is meant to be tedious or expected. So many people have had to settle for just a paycheck and maybe even overlooked the positive that they can take out of their work situation that when some happy go lucky fool who makes crafts or sells on eBay comes their way they can't accept it as a "real" job.

As our world and economy changes we humans need to be open to new ideas and additional sources of income. The old saying "Don't put all your eggs in one basket" might not be a bad rule to follow in our bad economy. Be knowledgeable, savvy and most of all have fun doing it!

Liquidation Sales - Are they worth it?

With the economic downturn worsening for retailers and many filing bankruptcy and liquidating, there has been a lot of talk about whether there really are bargains to be found at going out of business sales. Some retailers have been accused of selling damaged or older merchandise. The liquidating companies are interested in making their money - setting prices and making up the ads. They might also add their own merchandise or leftover merchandise from a past liquidation to the current one. To the unsuspecting bargin hunter, they could be walking away with no real deal.

Before you go through the doors, do your research. Check the items they are selling with other stores and you might find their prices are the same or slightly higher. Also remember you won't be getting any warranty. These are as is items. Insist on opening the box or packaging to check for damage or missing parts. If at all possible pay for your item(s) with a credit card. You'll have a better chance of getting a refund if something goes wrong.

There are legitimate liquidating companies out there. Some have been favorites of eBay sellers for years. Just do some research and remember the old saying "if it's too good to be true....

The Next Online Networking Challenge

Good day and welcome to my first attempt at blogging. Since I am such a Chatty Cathy now on Facebook and also need to start blogging so I can explain it to my SOHO group, I've decided to just jump in and get started. I have an online business called Curious Hound Creations for about six years. I also teach eBay classes so hopefully I will be adding tips on both as time goes on. Growing up way before (well, maybe not that way before) computers ruled the planet, it has been an interesting, fun and sometimes frustrating challange. I really mastered online when I was laid off my job of twenty years six years ago. I now had all this time on my hands between looking for jobs and because I started a business of designing and handcrafting purses thought how great it would be to sell them online. First came a website and eBay store and now here I am spending time on Facebook and MySpace.

The picture to the left is me with my eBay glasses on (a joke a high school friend played on me on Facebook - we'll get to that later) and my late basset hound Gilda, who was my inspiration to starting Curious Hound. I'll be posting pictures of all the hounds and links too as soon as I figure out how!