But yesterday I surprised myself with an idea for Mables.com that was actually a joy to work on. On the left side of the site I swapped out the rotating banner ads and replaced them with positive affirmations. No products or services to promote: just some much needed positive thinking for anyone who stops by. In sales, making the customer feel genuinely good about herself is rare. It’s more profitable to use fear so a person feels (subconsciously or consciously) like a dork who needs to shop herself to perfection.

So take a deep breath… and enjoy these reminders of how awesome and loved you are. All is well.

To see all 5 messages, visit any of the category pages on Mables.com and take a look at the left hand side;

• Unusual & Unique Gifts
• Eco Friendly Gifts
• Retro & Vintage
• Accessories & Wearables
• Home & Decor
• Gadget Gifts
• Child Gifts
• Easy Gifts
• Luxury Gifts
• Pet Gifts

Next month will mark Mables’ 2 year anniversary of blogging. It’s been a fun journey, full of interesting products and sales, as well as a learning experience for us personally. And like everything in life, this blog is not static; every post is an evolution of sorts. We’ve been brainstorming about possibilities for growth on Mables.com and today we’re proud to announce the next step for us. We’re changing the way that we write so that each post is really representative of products and innovations that we feel are important to talk about. Our focus on “Unique Gifts” hasn’t really been specific enough. It’s allowed us to talk about everything from handmade Valentines to replica jewelry and even blogs as gifts. Initially, we wanted to cover those diverse topics so we could offer “something interesting for everybody”. After 2 years of blogging like that we realized it just wasn’t us. That’s not what we genuinely want Mable’s to be. We quit our day jobs so we could be pioneers, not take the path of least resistance.

Starting today, Mable’s Unique Shopping Blog will become more focused on the topics we most enjoy and find important. For better or worse, it will also be written very honestly. In the real world we shoot from the hip, and our blog is really going to reflect that. We’ve always been a bit unconventional, but radical honesty is our goal now. In a world where it seems like every inch of space and every opinion is for sale, we want to be a transparent alternative. If we hear about a really great sale at Giant Company X, will we still let our readers know? Sometimes, but most of the time we will be writing about eco-friendly products and technologies, vintage items, independent companies, and a few geeky gadgets. These are our passions, and we’re choosing to follow them. Several of the blog categories might end up becoming a little bare, but we’ll really fill up the other categories to make up for it.

We hope you’ll join us for this new adventure. Come by and watch our progress, let us know how we’re doing, and share your links to other organizations or people who are trying to blog this way. We’re not sure what the outcome will be, but it’s a risk we’re excited to take. One final question: what do we call this kind of online communication? Blogging with Integrity? Honest Blogging? Blogging From the Hip? What are your thoughts?

* Integrity image courtesy of Right Brain Terrain, creators of amazing Alternative Motivational Posters

Native Remedies has some excellent tips on strengthening your immune system. Along with their very popular ImmunityPlus herbal remedy they also note that sufficient exercise, a healthy and balanced diet, quality sleep, good hygiene, are essential to a strong immune system. Native Remedies sets themselves apart from other online stores like theirs by providing lots of very useful info related to the product/illness. It’s almost like reading a Wiki on the ailments that tells you why it’s happening, how you can prevent it next time, and what to do about it now. They are also full of glowing reviews from real customers, and it appears a lot of them are repeat customers. Native remedies also has an ongoing great value on pretty much any product they carry of buy 2 get 1 free.

Already sick? Here are some remedies for some of the most popular ailments.
Throat and Tonsil Dr.: for the natural treatment of throat infections, including Tonsillitis.
ComfiCoff: a complex remedy containing both herbal and homeopathic ingredients combined in therapeutic dosages to provide rapid and effective relief of congestion and phlegm.
KiddieVom Sprinkles: combines 100% safe and natural herbal and homeopathic ingredients that support the digestive process and relieves nausea and vomiting in children.

For proven, effective and safe natural remedies to anything from bed wetting to joint relief remember to visit and bookmark Native Remedies.

So now that you have all this info, you can see that preventing illness is a key component to being a super hero. Have you ever seen Superman sick or Wonder Woman too ill to fly her invisible plane? OK then, step one complete.

Now that we’re (mostly) finished with that task, we’ll be posting a lot of new holiday gift ideas and green holiday tips, so come be sure to come back daily or subscribe to our RSS feed.

For the rest of us, we still have about 5 days left of waiting (or 4 and some change if you hit up a night-time showing on Thursday). To further add to the anticipation and excitement, and to speed the week along, next week is Pirate Week at Mable’s Blog. From Monday through Friday we’ll be blogging about “salty old pirates” and all the savvy merchandise they have spawned. Who doesn’t need a little more adventure in her life? So join us May 21-25 for a week of pirate booty!

For some people, Overstock is like crack. Like eBay, their inventory is constantly changing and often available only in small quantities. You have to keep checking back to see what new discounts and coupons are available, otherwise you might miss The Deal. Overstock fanatics and newbies alike can rejoice at the O Day Sale going on the next 4 days. Get %10 off your purchase, plus pay just $1 for shipping.

Sale runs 4/27/07 – 4/30/07 @ 11:59 PM MST

Brookstone – Save up to 80% – Clearance on Brookstone’s Best
Cooking.com – Clearance Sale – 75% off!
BuyCostumes – Clearance Costumes up to 80% off!
Hammacher Schlemmer – Save up to 70% at the Hammacher Schlemmer Special Values Sale.
Books aMillion – Book Clearance Sale – Save up to 80%!
CircuitCity – Spectacular Sale & Clearance begins Dec 26th
Zappos – Check out their clearance section.
NewEgg – Check out their clearance section.
UnbeatableSale – Free Shipping on Clearance Products $200 up to $500
CollectiblesToday – Shhh… Super Secret Collectibles Clearance Sale!

All of these clearance sales end soon, so act now and save. Some will end with 2006 and some will continue for one more week.
For coupons that aren’t expired check out our online coupons page.

This is the perfect time to get a Rich Velvet Santa Suit for well below it’s normal price. This particular costume retails for $169 but with the clearance price plus the 50% coupon code you can get it for only $50! It’s also a perfect time to stock up on Halloween decor for next year or display it all year round if you are a fellow 365Halloween fan.

Coupon Code: Use coupon code OUTTAHERE06 to receive 50% off any clearance items while supplies last.

Pictures of your family are some of the best gifts long distance family members will get this year. SmugMug also makes it easy to purchase prints of any photo you or your family might choose. When purchasing prints there are options to get the printed on photo paper, mugs, shirts, postcards and more.

Visit SmugMug today for your free trial and see for yourself how easy it really is.