The Most Fun I Ever Had At Starbucks Wearing Clothes

Now I know this might not sound like a thrill to some, but for those interested in human behavior and what attracts what and if opposites attract (or not) or like attracts like, I did a recent experiment and had the most fun I've ever had at Starbucks (front patio) wearing clothes. My clothes to be exact. My matching ones that I sell. But not just any matching ones. Matching theme cartoon clothes. Men, please put down "How To Pick Up Women" books now, toss away the pheromone cologne. I have the secret. This goes for women too. Forget eHarmony and perfect attraction. This is simpler, cheaper, and faster.

This is how the experiment went. I am a cartoonist. I sell cartoon merchandise on clothes, and caps and buttons and gifts and such. I took a subject in which I was interested; well to subjects actually, health foods and philosophy. I happen to have a cartoon called "Complex Carbohydrates" with the image on these products. So rather than just wearing a hoodie, I wore the hoodie, matching cap, matching button, and matching tote bag. I even carefully poured the French Vanilla from the Starbuck's cup into my own matching oversize Complex Carbohydrates mug, for yet more excitement.

I cannot begin to tell you the stir it caused at Starbucks (stir = no pun intended). People came to my table just to talk. They wanted to know about the cartoon, and some invited themselves to sit (if I didn't invite them first).

By the way, guys, some were attractive very nice women, so beware. Works better than pheromones fragances!!

I must have been there 3 hours just talking or listening. Everyone wanted to tell me their point of view on health foods, vitamins, philosophy, cartooning, or whatever. It was great fun and the quality of people was nice. The majority were degreed or post grads (i always try to do a casual demographic study when casually marketing my wares), and were bright people. All taught me something.

One of the main things they taught me was that they considered it "cool" to do something like that; that is, not just wear a tee, or sweat, but some fun peripheral decorative apparel that made a statement. It told them I was communicating and I didn't even have to say hello to do so. It drew them to me.

I highly recommend it. It was only an experiment but one that really turned out to be a positive experience.

I will try it more often with different theme cartoons such as movies and dogs and other things I enjoy. I will keep you updated what happens.

You can try it too. It's not expensive and great great fun. Just order what you like;
be sure it's matching on the same page at www.ricklondoncollection.com

I'll keep ya updated on future experiments.

Looking For That Perfect Tee Shirt?

Even though nearly every adult in the U.S. is reported to have a favorite t shirt, and at least fifteen in their drawer, how do you know what tshirt to buy as a gift. Sometimes it’s even harder to choose the right one for you.

But what is the perfect tshirt? That can be quite objective, but its not a “hit or miss” proposition.

When choosing a t shirt for someone else, I usually try to get inside their head and heart. What do they feel most comfortable in? Do they love humor or would feel embarrassed wearing a funny item of clothing? Do they prefer a historic place photo? All these things have to be taken into consideration. Like me, most of my friend’s tee philosophy is “the funnier the better”.

Knowing the recipient’s personality is pertinent when choosing the perfect tshirt. Is tha person a visual type or enjoys words more. Perhaps both. I am one of those proud tee owners and so most of my favorite t-shirts have a graphic cartoon image with some text. These never fail to be mentioned in passing conversations when wear them in public. , I am stopped every time by people wanting to know where I got it, or just a simple compliment on it.

Is the recipient a doctor, a lawyer, a horse rancher or cowboy? A scientist or marriage and couples counselor? That kind of information can go a long way in deciding what type of tee to purchase.

The best part of giving a tee as a gift, aside from the price usually being between $14 and $25 depending on the quality and graphic, is the fact that it is something people don’t talk about a lot, but get great use out of them. It is, in many ways, an ideal and unexpected gift, especially when humor or cartooning is involved.

Order your favorite tee or tees online today. Try some for yourself and wear them around, go shopping in them, or walk the dog in the park. Watch the difference in attitude people have when approaching you, especially if you are wearing one that is humorous. It happens nearly every time to me. Someone will stop me and want to know where I got it, and sometimes are even crass enough to ask what I paid for it. But that’s okay. It’s usually a nice person simply giving a compliment and seeking information on how to order a similar one.

Tshirts, historically have been an excellent way to express oneself. If you’ve not tried one on for size,and seen the positive reaction of your circle of friends (and those outside the circle) you will. Order one today and see the difference.

Add a matching cap or dog sweater for your dog and get the attention of a supermodel.

www.ricklondonwear.com
www.ricklondoncollection.com
www.londonstimessuperstore.com
www.londonstimes.us

Pink Flamingo Collectibles Added To Rick London Collection

http://www.cafepress.com/9500/4571094


The incredible collectible pink flamingo is one of those type things that are either totally loved or completely ignored. Depends on human taste and objectivity. As many consider it art as others consider it junk.
The evolution of the pink flamingo as a decorative object dates back to the 1940's a company called Union Products in a small Ma. Town called Leminster. They produced bit plastic animals for the front yard, but had not yet thought of the pink flamingo. Even those animals were, indeed, so tacky, they were huge sellers. A good analogy was like having the ugliest dog, so ugly it's cute. People had to have them. They were all two dimensional like a cut-out board reindeer Christmas decoration is.
About a decade later, a serious art student who worked at Union named Don Featherstone was Although Don was a serious sculptor and classical art student, his first project was to redesign their popular duck and this time make it 3-dimensional The company figured it would be a bigger seller. The company was wrong and the 3d duck ended up in the local park. He had used a live duck as a model but still no real success.
He then figured people wanted color and something exotic. Pink Flamingos came to mind but he could not find a live one for a model so he turned to National Geographic. Smart move. They had plenty of photos. Using clay, he built his prototype. then used to make a plaster cast. The plaster cast, in turn, was used to form the molds for the plastic. The original design called for detailed wooden legs, but they proved to be too costly and were replaced by the metal ones still seen today. While the exact date was never recorded, the first pink flamingo was created several years before 1960.
The late 1950’s just happened to be perfect timing for the flamingo. The American population was moving out of the city and behind white picket fence lawns, a perfect resting place for the big pink bird.
The late 1950’s fashion trends were bright, bold colors. Grays and blacks had been here forever and people were ready for a change. The plastic industry was thriving and now allowed for hot colors like bright green, vivid ruby, and, of course, hot flamingo pink. Pink refrigerators, washing machines, and of course who didn't want a pink Caddie?
The love of the pink flamingo was short-lived due to timing. The 1960's was a time of rebellion, especially against anything man-made, and the plastic flamingo was certainly not heaven-sent (though many serious collectors still consider it so). All the major department stores, (Sears being the biggest back then as this was way pre-Walmart) removed the items from lack of sales. Collectors went underground to flea markets and niche gift shops as they still do.
Many collectors are still very serious about the pink flamingo and go so far as to travel with them.
We all know that what is art to one person is garbage to the next. Bans have been placed on pink flamingos all over the country. As a result, Union Plastics was forced to introduce a blue flamingo to work inside the laws of city ordinances. But for every action to a reaction there is another action, eh? These towns then changed the laws to ban all plastic flamingos. Many refused to obey the ordinances and the laws have rarely been enforced in most of the communities.

Until this day, pink flamingo items are still some of the most sought after in the country, and the Internet is where the majority of the shopping is done, saving collectors large amounts of money from having to travel to find their beloved bird. Now they are available on everything from coffee mugs to boxer shorts to beer steins to clocks, all valuable and desirable collectibles (for those who love them that is).

The True History Of St. Valentine's Day

As early as the fourth century B.C., the Romans engaged in an annual young man’s rite to passage to the God Lupercus. The names of the teenage women were placed in a box and drawn at random by adolescent men; thus, a man was assigned a woman companion for the duration of the year, after which another lottery was staged. After eight hundred years of this cruel practice, the early church fathers sought to end this practice… They found an answer in Valentine, a bishop who had been martyred some two hundred years earlier.

Ancient Rome is riddled with strange ceremonies and traditions, especially toward the end of its reign as a mighty empire. In fact, the way young men and women learned love was from a lottery. Once a year, in a ceremony, a teenage boy picked a girl’s name out of a box (all the teenage girls in the village names were in the box). She was his for a year. She was at his command. And sometimes it was not a pretty thing to witness. It would be another 800 years before the church put an end to this practice.

The event turned out to be a celebration of a good man, a priest and bishop named Valentine who lived near Rome in the mid to late second century. During this time Emporer Claudius 11 had outlawed marriage as he felt it made his soldiers weak, and he needed the strongest men available. After all, Rome was crumbling.

After witnessing the horrors of young lovers being torn apart for wanting to be married, Valentine held secret ceremonies and married them anyway. He was soon caught by Claudius’ army. Claudius tried to convert him to the Roman way of thinking but Valentine held firm to his Christian beliefs and was executed.

Valentine’s execution date was February 24th, 270.

During Valentine’s prison sentence, he came in contact with his jailer, Asterius who had a blind daughter. Asterius requested him to heal his daughter. Through his faith he miraculously restored the sight of Asterius’ daughter. Just before his execution, he asked for a pen and paper from his jailer, and signed a farewell message to her “From Your Valentine,” a phrase that has endured eternity.

Valentine was later named a Patron Saint, and spiritual overseer of an annual festival. The festival involved young Romans offering women they admired, and wished to court, handwritten greetings of affection on February 14. The greeting cards acquired St. Valentine’s namesake and still has it.

Valentine’s day grew in popularity along with Christianity, and is now celebrated all over the world, celebrated by almost all faiths. One of the earliest Valentine’s cards was sent in 1415 by Charles, Duke of Orleans, to his wife while he was a prisoner in the Tower of London. It is now showcased at the British Museum.

I only found out the origins of Valentine’s Day today, and found it quite interesting. So what I decided to do was add a “Sex, Love, & Relationship” section to my main gift shop, and mark everything down up to 80% just through Valentine’s day, just to make the Patron Saint proud. It can include a gift card and the customer does not have to sign it “From Your Valentine” but can if he/she wishes.

St Valentines History

Before putting our "Sex, Love, And Relationship" items on sale at Rick London Collection, I researched and found out the history of St. Valentines Day. It is
fascinating. It all started with the Roman Empire crumbling and Claudius outlawing
marriage as he felt it weakened the soldiers. An unknown Christian priest, named Valentine noticed the pain it was causing young people and performed secret marriage
ceremonies outside of Rome. He was finally captured and executed, but not before healing his jailer's daughter's blindness. Before being executed, he wrote a note to the jailer "Your Valentine". Visit www.ricklondoncollection.com and click on the "Sex, Love, And Relationship" link and find a lot of goodies on sale at up to 80% off, just through Valentines Day.

Rick London Collection Valentine Sale

Everything in the store is priced at 50-80% below regular retail price now
through Feb. 10th. Name it, we have it tshirts, keepsake boxes, pillows, aprons, caps, day planners, hoodies and sweats, track suits, women's mens and kids casual tops, maternity wear, baby clothes, mousepads, beer steins, coffee mugs, the list goes on forever. And the items are very funny, and as we all know, humor is healing,
and what relationship couldn't use a little healing. Simply click on the Sex, Love, & Relationship graphic at www.ricklondoncollection.com and happy shopping! And even more important, Happy Valentine's Day! All items sold exclusively by the Rick London Collection. They can only be bought at www.ricklondoncollection.com

Feels Good Added New Stuff To Collection

Today, finally felt a bit productive; after a 3 day dry spell of not feeling like doing much. Lost my dog Thor last week to heart disease; owned him 12 years. Great great doggie. Still grieving. But he is in a better place. Now I will try to be productive again. Added some new genres of cartoon merchandise to the store. One is Famous Authors and the other is Computers. I think they will do well. I like this new store in that it has a very wide variety of merchandise. Some of my favorites are the tshirts, beer steins, caps, track suits, buttons, magnets, clocks, aprons, and even the baby clothes and maternity wear. Hope everyone will drop by.

Computer Cartoon Gifts And Collectibles Added

Cartoonist and etailer Rick London announced today that his
new cartoon gift store Rick London Collection www.ricklondoncollection.com
has added two new categories of cartoon gifts, authors and computers.

London says he often asks for feedback from existing customers to discover
what they want the most and does his best to add them to the collection as
soon as possible.

London has also opened a cartoon maternity and infant wear shop that also
offers matching cartoon gifts for mom and dad.

Shown are a few of the images available on everything from tshirts to
hoodies to collectible clocks to beer steins to mousepads, to you name it.

He says the creative possibilities are endless in such a venture and
he couldn't imagine doing anything else.

London says, "I always wondered growing up what it would be like to
do exactly what you want to do, and now I know. It's really something
to behold and I see that anyone can do it if they simply put forth
some effort and try. It may not be cartooning but something they love.

Has he learned any lessons? London says, "Mainly that it is okay to fall
and get back up, in fact a necessity. It has been through trial and error,
no roadmap, and a leap of faith, that made all this take a life of its own.
There is no way I could have done it myself. I had a lot of help from a lot
of very talented people.