Miniature Cottages for the Garden

Miniature concrete cottages are best sellers in stores everywhere now that summer is here and just every gardener wants to make his or her garden the toast of the neighorhood. These delightful miniature garden cottages are handcrafted with lots of loving details by the best artisans of Brookfield, Georgia, USA. You can find them at the most affordable prices at SHOPDROPS.COM(compare pricing with other online stores). The spirit of the old world cottage is apparent in its purest form in these weather durable garden cottages which are delightfully available in different architectural designs. These collectible cottages have removable roofs, and can be used as lanterns, key keepers or storage for small garden tools.

Available designs are the English Cottage with tin or concerete roof(your choice), English Rose Cottage, Scottish Cottage, Highlands Buttercup Cottage, Italian Cottage, Irish Cottage, French Farm Cottage and the Tuscan Sunflower Cottage. English troughs are also offered if you want to enhance your miniature cottages with landcasping. This is a great project for the avid gardener, the amateur lanscaspist or the bored teens or kids on their school breaks. Check these miniature cottages out, shopper! Let me know what you think of them!

WHAT'S THE NEW FAV IN HOME DECORATING

You see it almost everywhere and in almost any interior and exterior design - wrought-iron decor. Yes, they are so very in today with ordinary home makers and professional home interior decorators alike.

And why not? Wrought iron decor always evokes old elegance and speaks of much treasured family traditions and values. It has its roots from medieval crests of honor that nobilities displayed on their doors as symbols of their social and historical stature - all perpetuated in iron.

Centuries later, wrought iron art finds its niche in interior, garden and lawn decorating. Wrought iron products like weather vanes, door plaques, over the door plaques, welcome signs, plant stands, iron trellises and plant hooks are popularly used to add beauty and distinct personality to gardens, patios, backyards, porches or outdoor areas.

And they are so easy to maintain. Durable in rain or shine, these decorative wrought iron art pieces. So look around, my dear shopper. Go iron....

Shopping Smart for Girls' Must Haves

With the growing concerns about the economy, it is becoming more difficult to stick to what is necessary to maintain our lifestyles. What can a girl do with ever growing costs of beauty products for instance?

Ever heard of unboxed signature perfumes or even testers? These are smart buys compared to the boxed and fancy packaged versions. Okay, here's the secret. . .

Unboxed items are a great way to save . . . believe it or not! Unboxed perfumes for instance are the same as their unboxed counterparts. They are 100% original, fresh and authentic. The only difference is they come without the fancy packaging.

Why are they unboxed? Sometimes, boxes can be damaged, torn or misshaped in transit - from the distributing warehouse to the retail shops. Retail shops buy these at less their usual wholesale costs and these retail shops then sell them at lesser prices, thus passing on the savings to you, their customers.

It is a win - win situation, so there. Unless you are giving these perfumes as gifts to people other than yourselves, why would you want to pay for boxes that you will discard and trash eventually in the first place?

Another smart shopping tip from shopdrops.com - that little neighborhod shop in cyberspace that you just love to visit!

Online Shoppers and Fraudulent Card Transactions

WE realize and are quite happy with that, that you prefer shopping online to battling it out at the malls for the following reasons:
--- fighting the traffic jam while driving to the malls
--- getting stressed out just looking for a parking space
--- walking around in search of products can be sooo tiring
--- walking around some more, this time carrying your sometimes multiple heavy "shopping bags" (this is when you physically DROP in the classic "shop until you drop story"
--- higher costs of products (brick & mortal stores raise their costs to cover higher rent and utilities and manpower)

Yes . . . Online Shopper - we are pleased that you prefer shopping online from home for reasons that were previously discussed.

True, we now have a high number of online merchants who use the SSL (Secure Socket Layer) Encryption on their check out pages (Reminder: Remember to look up at the address bar from your PC for that "S" after "http" during check-out to verify whether you are on a secure page at check-out or not). BUT YOU still have got to help us ascertain that your order is legitimate and authorized by you!

This is important - Leave us your VALID, working telephone numbers and your primary e-mail addresses at check-out. Our intention is neither to spam you nor sell your contact information to a third party. That is a myth. WE simply want to call you and be able to vertify with you WHENEVER we get those little red flags of warning when we process your credit card. Identity and authorization verification from the person whose name is on the card is NECESSARY especially for orders that ship to addresses OTHER than the billing address.

The identity thieves always want to ship their loot to an address other than the billing address for obvious reasons. We are not saying that all orders that ship to addresses other than the billing address are fraudelent. BUT when the online merchant literally gets those red flags as sales are processed, IT IS TIME TO CALL THE CREDIT CARD HOLDER and ask whether he or she indeed placed that order.

At SHOPDROPS.COM, we have our Yahoo risk tools enabled all the time(Address Validation System (AVS) and Card Verification Value (CVV) included) so that whenever we get an incorrect address or a wrong zip code or CVV mismatch, we get alerted to do our verification steps.

While there is no guarantee of safety on the web, you can minimize online privacy or security problems by using websites you know and trust. Try to use sites you've used previously or that are recommended by trusted friends or family. One thing is sure --- there are many safe sites out there that you can trust.

THE ELEGANT COUCH POTATO

Newest "Gadget" for the Elegant Couch Potato is here straight from New Zealand!

Yes, here's a classy and elegant way to watch that favorite tv show - a cushioned lap tray. The lap tray is a cushioned tray that molds itself to the knees to provide a convenient and stable surface for letter-writing, laptop use, meals and hobbies. They are designed with function in mind. Perfect for the couch potato heroes and heroines as well as bed-ridden and wheel-chair-bound.

Constructed of the highest quality hardboard, this stylish and functional lap tray has a heat and stain resistant and easy clean surface. Simply wipe with damp cloth and it's ready for the next tray service. Its cushion is covered with hard-wearing fabric in dark brown or dark gold. Fabric covering is 80% polyester and 20% cotton. Cushion is filled with flame-retardant beads. Available in nine designs, each lap tray is delivered in a poly-bag with removable protective corners. What more can our couch potato ask for?

Go get one today! Don't be a couch potato without a lap tray! Time to upgrade to the Elegant Couch Potato!

The ShopDrops.Com Story

Once upon a time, an idea came to me - why don't I create an online store? A little imp whispered in my ear and reminded me of the millions of online stores out there and how it would be almost impossible for my idea of a store to stand out. Well, a good little fairy whispered in my other ear that it was just a matter of giving a store more soul, more personality, more sincerity, better quality goods and most of all the best customer service there is, for people to come and visit it because they love it. The more I thought of what I can make my store to be, the better the idea looked. Again, I asked myself, what if I inject into my virtual store all the qualities that those lovely little shops in my old childhood neighborhood that I used to so love to visit, will it stand out from the gazillion big and small stores on the web? The good ittle fairy shouted YES! YES! YES! And I said to myself with my chin up, "Right . . . WHY NOT?"

True, I just so love shopping in small shops. Small shops are so very like home - cozy, much tended, much cared for, much loved. Before shopdrops.com came along, I was inspired by the love, care and hard work that small shopkeepers gave to their little shops. And so, using the valuable lessons from the original shopkeepers of neighborhood shops and my insatiable need to shop online, I fashioned shopdrops.com into this small virtual shop that it is today. Everyday, as I put up my virtual items on the shelves, I try new ways of doing things - arrange the shelves, change my shop decor, prepare a pot of steaming coffee (with the help of html) - in the hope of making this shop more welcoming, cozy and serene for visitors who drop in and browse among the delightful items that I have carefully selected and laid out for them.

The idea of an online store finds its roots from my love of shopping on line. Shopping on line is a breeze. You can do it anytime and within the comfort of your home. You do not have to drive to the mall and fight traffic and get tired looking for a space to park. It is just so easy and safe with the right store!

And so, www.shopdrops.com was born on October 4, 2004. The rest is history and this story ended happily for me. And here I am today, the shopkeeper of a little shop in the cyberworld - shopdrops.com, the little shop in the neighborhood that people do love to visit!

Countdown to the Gift-Giving Season Begins . . .

Well . . . the countdown begins. It is barely 84 days before the holidays. That really means you have at least 80 days to do all your shopping, decorating and gift-wrapping. Yes, I know - that sounds like so many many days. But you and I know that days have wings and before you know, the malls will be full of shoppers.

Do not forget that there is the comfort and safety of shopping on line. It is amazing how cheaper and easier it is to do your shopping online. I do not have to mention the TIME and EFFORT you save from shopping on line.

In fact, according to almost all my neighbors, and co-workers (both male and female) - online shopping is safer and easier than braving the malls. And you know what I mean.

Hey, this is the new way of life and we have to embrace it and be savvy about it.

By the way, watch out for new product lines at my shop, WWW.SHOPDROPS.COM - "that little neighborhood shop that you just love to visit". You will find all the quality gifts you want to buy for your friends and loved ones. Keep in touch and we will keep you informed.

Listen to this professional buyer/shopper. Do your homework. Make your list now and do not forget to include people who help you make your life easier - the poolman, the gardener, the baby-sitter, the cleaning lady, the postman, your neighbor who takes your kids to school . . . and the list goes om . . . Till then.
Shop safe. Shop smart.