Marsha Neal Studio Etsy Shop

My Etsy shop is set up - Finally!

I can't believe how long it takes to get it pulled together - just the background info and policies. No items yet, but that should happen as soon as I get a cool background, the pieces, camera then item descriptions together. So like another billion years maybe... hopefully not. I've got some fun pieces to put up, and don't have time to fool with my actual website shopping cart since both Dave and I are head cold sick right now.

Here is a link to my Etsy shop so far. If anyone has any comments or advise - please let me know. I'm flying by the seat of my pants on this one (and as medicine head, trying to fend off this cold!)
http://www.MarshaNealStudio.Etsy.com

Happy Holidays Everyone!!!

Marsha Neal Studio Etsy Shop

My Etsy shop is set up - Finally!

I can't believe how long it takes to get it pulled together - just the background info and policies. No items yet, but that should happen as soon as I get a cool background, the pieces, camera then item descriptions together. So like another billion years maybe... hopefully not. I've got some fun pieces to put up, and don't have time to fool with my actual website shopping cart since both Dave and I are head cold sick right now.

Here is a link to my Etsy shop so far. If anyone has any comments or advise - please let me know. I'm flying by the seat of my pants on this one (and as medicine head, trying to fend off this cold!)
http://www.MarshaNealStudio.Etsy.com

Happy Holidays Everyone!!!

Management-Ally 9: Believe in strangers

Some forwarded me a link to join a new website www.yepme.com. They claim to be India's first recommendation Engine.

The offer of sending invites and recommending places allows you to accumulate points and thus you are eligible to get your free Reebok shoes (the prime reason for me to click the link)

It makes me wonder, why would someone listen to a recommendations of a complete stranger?? Can i really be an 'influencer' to promote some service or product, that will influence a person from Mumbai or Bangalore to try it. Sounds, far fetched.

I never asked the person sitting on the neighboring table in a restaurant what he had ordered or how the food tasted. Neither do I ask someone at a retail outlet about a particular product. Then why would I go online, read a recommendation of some completely unknown, and the decide. And most cases, I go by the waiter/chef's recommendation or the salesman's advice...I am sure this will be true in most cases.

This thought reflects in my earlier blog about online behaviour. Is our online behaviour vastly different from our real life behaviour??

Also, the fact that someone 'earns' points and there-by rewarded for giving recommendations would kill the purpose of being an unbiased 'reviewer' of a product or service (i am assuming that this site only promotes positive recommendations, and you are rewarded for the same, i might be wrong too)..

Reviewers site, i have seen are usually a message board for venting up. Most of the comments are from people who have an unpleasant experience with the company or brand. This strengthens the saying - a happy customers says to 3, and an unhappy one to 3000.

I think the more workable model for the review/ recommendation sites to be successful would be to get the customer response as soon as they have experienced the product or service. Here a judicious mix of micro-blogging through mobile (SMS) would be the best way...

Cheers

Santosh

Management-Ally 9: Believe in strangers

Some forwarded me a link to join a new website www.yepme.com. They claim to be India's first recommendation Engine.

The offer of sending invites and recommending places allows you to accumulate points and thus you are eligible to get your free Reebok shoes (the prime reason for me to click the link)

It makes me wonder, why would someone listen to a recommendations of a complete stranger?? Can i really be an 'influencer' to promote some service or product, that will influence a person from Mumbai or Bangalore to try it. Sounds, far fetched.

I never asked the person sitting on the neighboring table in a restaurant what he had ordered or how the food tasted. Neither do I ask someone at a retail outlet about a particular product. Then why would I go online, read a recommendation of some completely unknown, and the decide. And most cases, I go by the waiter/chef's recommendation or the salesman's advice...I am sure this will be true in most cases.

This thought reflects in my earlier blog about online behaviour. Is our online behaviour vastly different from our real life behaviour??

Also, the fact that someone 'earns' points and there-by rewarded for giving recommendations would kill the purpose of being an unbiased 'reviewer' of a product or service (i am assuming that this site only promotes positive recommendations, and you are rewarded for the same, i might be wrong too)..

Reviewers site, i have seen are usually a message board for venting up. Most of the comments are from people who have an unpleasant experience with the company or brand. This strengthens the saying - a happy customers says to 3, and an unhappy one to 3000.

I think the more workable model for the review/ recommendation sites to be successful would be to get the customer response as soon as they have experienced the product or service. Here a judicious mix of micro-blogging through mobile (SMS) would be the best way...

Cheers

Santosh

Management-Ally 9: Believe in strangers

Some forwarded me a link to join a new website www.yepme.com. They claim to be India's first recommendation Engine.

The offer of sending invites and recommending places allows you to accumulate points and thus you are eligible to get your free Reebok shoes (the prime reason for me to click the link)

It makes me wonder, why would someone listen to a recommendations of a complete stranger?? Can i really be an 'influencer' to promote some service or product, that will influence a person from Mumbai or Bangalore to try it. Sounds, far fetched.

I never asked the person sitting on the neighboring table in a restaurant what he had ordered or how the food tasted. Neither do I ask someone at a retail outlet about a particular product. Then why would I go online, read a recommendation of some completely unknown, and the decide. And most cases, I go by the waiter/chef's recommendation or the salesman's advice...I am sure this will be true in most cases.

This thought reflects in my earlier blog about online behaviour. Is our online behaviour vastly different from our real life behaviour??

Also, the fact that someone 'earns' points and there-by rewarded for giving recommendations would kill the purpose of being an unbiased 'reviewer' of a product or service (i am assuming that this site only promotes positive recommendations, and you are rewarded for the same, i might be wrong too)..

Reviewers site, i have seen are usually a message board for venting up. Most of the comments are from people who have an unpleasant experience with the company or brand. This strengthens the saying - a happy customers says to 3, and an unhappy one to 3000.

I think the more workable model for the review/ recommendation sites to be successful would be to get the customer response as soon as they have experienced the product or service. Here a judicious mix of micro-blogging through mobile (SMS) would be the best way...

Cheers

Santosh

November 2008 Recipe

Ok, it is better late than never for this November Recipe (posted in December)...

To start with, Thank You to my sister Teren.

Here is a picture of my sister Teren...

with the butt spud...

If you weren't there Thanksgiving day to help me make the mashed potatoes,

I don't think I would have ever gotten through those 5 or was it 6 bags?

Ok, hopefully you will find yourself a butt looking spud in the mix so you can giggle at it too!

But if not, then just remember this picture of my sister Teren after peeling this one.

We of course had to grab the camera to remember the moment...

She saw a butt, I saw boobs...

must be the breastfeeding thing...

Mashed Redskin Potatoes (Teren's Recipe)

First thing, is have a big pot to boil water - a pot with handles.

Fill that pot with water and get it on the stove for boiling!

For flavoring your spuds while boiling we add: salt, freeze dried red onion & garlic to the water.

If you have fresh - go for it. But around here, we go for quick and easy...

Scrub the dirt from the redskin potatoes (some we peeled because of the people that don't like to eat the skin... Dave's Uncle Ricky...hahahaha... no seconds for you... Mr. Smarty Pants... there is one in every family - well, lots in our family actually...).

I think that we used almost an entire 5lb bag of spuds (see picture for individual size) to make this recipe (times 5 or 6 because we had 34 people to make mashed potatoes for - big dinner!)

We cut the cleaned/skinned potatoes into small cubes and boiled them until fork soft.

Fork soft meaning you can cut through one with a fork (someone might not get fork soft - sorry!)

Strain the spuds and put them back into the pot - but not on the stove!

Remember to turn off your stove (those of you that are like-Marsha-minded...).

With a small handheld mixer blend the potatoes with:

butter, milk, salt, & pepper (for regular mashed spuds)

the above + minced garlic + minced onion + chive & onion cream cheese (for garlic-onion mashed yummy-these-are-the-best-mashed-spuds-ever kind).

For measuring these ingredients, it was really by eyeball and many tastings to see what it needed.

Basically almost a stick of butter for one 5lb bag.

Milk - I would say start with about 1/4 cup and add more little by little (if they are too dry).

Minced garlic - a little goes a long way.

Same with the onion (we like red onion in this house!)

I think that is about it for the Redskin Mashed Potatoe recipe from my sister... Enjoy!!!

November 2008 Recipe

Ok, it is better late than never for this November Recipe (posted in December)...

To start with, Thank You to my sister Teren.

Here is a picture of my sister Teren...

with the butt spud...

If you weren't there Thanksgiving day to help me make the mashed potatoes,

I don't think I would have ever gotten through those 5 or was it 6 bags?

Ok, hopefully you will find yourself a butt looking spud in the mix so you can giggle at it too!

But if not, then just remember this picture of my sister Teren after peeling this one.

We of course had to grab the camera to remember the moment...

She saw a butt, I saw boobs...

must be the breastfeeding thing...

Mashed Redskin Potatoes (Teren's Recipe)

First thing, is have a big pot to boil water - a pot with handles.

Fill that pot with water and get it on the stove for boiling!

For flavoring your spuds while boiling we add: salt, freeze dried red onion & garlic to the water.

If you have fresh - go for it. But around here, we go for quick and easy...

Scrub the dirt from the redskin potatoes (some we peeled because of the people that don't like to eat the skin... Dave's Uncle Ricky...hahahaha... no seconds for you... Mr. Smarty Pants... there is one in every family - well, lots in our family actually...).

I think that we used almost an entire 5lb bag of spuds (see picture for individual size) to make this recipe (times 5 or 6 because we had 34 people to make mashed potatoes for - big dinner!)

We cut the cleaned/skinned potatoes into small cubes and boiled them until fork soft.

Fork soft meaning you can cut through one with a fork (someone might not get fork soft - sorry!)

Strain the spuds and put them back into the pot - but not on the stove!

Remember to turn off your stove (those of you that are like-Marsha-minded...).

With a small handheld mixer blend the potatoes with:

butter, milk, salt, & pepper (for regular mashed spuds)

the above + minced garlic + minced onion + chive & onion cream cheese (for garlic-onion mashed yummy-these-are-the-best-mashed-spuds-ever kind).

For measuring these ingredients, it was really by eyeball and many tastings to see what it needed.

Basically almost a stick of butter for one 5lb bag.

Milk - I would say start with about 1/4 cup and add more little by little (if they are too dry).

Minced garlic - a little goes a long way.

Same with the onion (we like red onion in this house!)

I think that is about it for the Redskin Mashed Potatoe recipe from my sister... Enjoy!!!