A new look on our main website?

Yes - we thought it’s time to freshen up the look and improve on some things!

We’re not done yet . . . but we’d love to hear your reactions!

Here’s the question:  Can you honestly think of a better Mother’s Day gift than a magnificently painted portrait on canvas of her kids or grandkids?  This is a gift that’s so touching, and so personal, that it is without equal.

All you need to start such a painting is a great snapshot of the child, or children and the artist will turn it into a masterpiece that would make Rembrandt proud. 

And at a price that’s downright affordable, too. 

And they’re offering a special bonus to make it even sweeter.

So can they really create such a masterpiece between now and May 11th?  That does seem like stretch, doesn’t it?  Actually, they probably can’t  (it normally takes 4 to 6 weeks to paint a portrait of this quality).

But what they CAN do is to compose it against an appropriate background and send you a .jpg image that you can print and present to her.  That way, she can not only see what she’s going to receive, but actually participate in the process.

See — creating portraits is a very collaborative process.  At each stage of development, they’ll send you (or her) an image by email.  That includes close-ups, when appropriate.  You can provide input as to what looks just right or what needs to be changed.  You call tell them “the eyes need to be bluer” - or - ”Can you fix that flyaway hair on the right side?” 

Of course!

That’s the beauty of painting as opposed to photography.  They can  paint anything you want - including placing them into any scene you can imagine.  Paint them on the beach, in a beautiful garden, or just a nice shaded background.  It’s all your choice.  Oops!  I
mean her choice.  Remember, she’ll get to participate in the process.

You’ll never have to worry about getting something neither you nor she will want.  By the time it’s complete, you’ll know exactly what you’re going to get.  That’s one of the reasons that this offer comes with absolutely THE most outstanding guarantee in the business.  It’s totally risk-free.

So what are you waiting for?  You can spend hours and hours shopping for that typical ho-hum gift that will be forgotten by the time next Mother’s Day rolls around . . . .

. . . . Or you can surprise her with a gift that will bring genuine tears of joy to her eyes.  A gift that will be cherished for a lifetime, then passed on to her children and her children’s children for generations to come.

Now how can you possibly top THAT for the perfect Mother’s Day gift?

Check out all the possibilities:    Risk-Free Custom Portraits for Mother’s Day Special

Oh, and what about that special bonus? 

They’ll frame that portrait for 50% of the regular price.  What a deal!  And their frames  are magnificent, wide, luxury frames that could hang in the most prestigious mansion and
fit right in.  They can cost hundreds of dollars all by themselves.

At half price, they make you look even better in Mom’s eyes.

Again, act right now.  This offer on the frame will end on May 11—

P.S. - Are you a Mom?  If you’re reading this and would like a portrait for yourself, you have two options: 1) Print this and put it in front of the guy whose attention you need to get; or, 2) Treat yourself to your own Mother’s Day present.

Risk-Free Custom Portraits for Mother’s Day Special

Do you need help getting your Communion photo or video up to enter our Communion Portrait Drawing?

 We want to share the help we found in  The Costco Connection, April 2008, page 13:

Q.  Can you tell me how to post a video clip on a site such as YouTube?

A:  Uploading video to YouTube might sound daunting, but it’s quite a simple — and rewarding — process.

First, make sure your edited video is shorter than 10 minutes and smaller than 100 megabytes.  Save your video as QuickTime, MOV, Windows .AVI or. WMV, or .MPG files as they work best with YouTube.  The e site also recommends the MPEG4(DivX, Xvid) format at 640 x 480 resolution with MP3 audio.

That might sound like jargon soup, but all you need to remember is that once you have a video you want to upload to YouTube (say, transferred from a camcorder), simply save it as one of the above-mentioned formats, found in your video editor’s option settings.

Next, click the “Upload Videos” button near the top right corner of any YouTube page and enter as much information about your video as possible, such as title, author, description, tags (search keywords), category and so on.  Also, select if you want your video to be public (for the whole world to see) or private (by invitation only).

After you click the “Upload a Video” button you’ll be prompted to browse for the video file on your computer’s hard drive.  Select the file you wish to upload.  That’s it!

Keep in mind that it can take up to an hour for the bideo to be uploaded and available for viewing.

If you want to learn how to upload a YouTube video from your cell phone, visit LifeHacker.com

Thank you Costco!

What keywords should you use?  We suggest:

• Child’s name
• Term such as - First Communion, First Communion dress, First Communion suit, First Communion day
• Settings  Public - definitely public

Looking forward to seeing your photos and videos!

Did you SEE all the adorable baby dresses on sale?  If not, be sure to check it out!

Why so many on sale?  Well . . . it’s SPRING for one thing!  Time to celebrate!

And yes, new styles ARE arriving — time to make room!

QUESTION:  Should we put baby SUITS on sale too? If you think so, please let us know!

We have a LOT more than baby dresses on sale, of course.  Check out our entire Clearance Dept! 

NOTE:  “Clearance” for us isn’t the same as a clearance rack at your local store.  Why?  Well, items on clearance at your local store have been handled by SO MANY people - and tried on - and possibly abused and local, well, get rather “shop worn”.  Don’t they?  Not here!  These are PREMIUM GRADE A FIRST QUALITY BRAND NEW — and on sale!

You’ll not only find baby dresses on sale - you’ll find Christening gowns, Communion dresses, Flower Girl dresses, boys’ suits, Prom dresses, shoes and accessories too!

Be sure to check it out!

This just in ——-

We just launched a HUGE sale on Baby Dresses & Heirloom Dresses!

First quality - BEAUTIFUL dresses - while supplies last - then POOF!  Gone!

The Baby Dress Sale is in our Baby & Christening Boutique.

The Heirloom Dress Sale is in our Girls Dresses & Gowns Boutique.

 All can be seen in our Clearance Dept.

 REMEMBER –

These are ALL premium - first quality - brand-new dresses!  They are not “picked over and shop worn” like you find on clearance racks in your local store!

This is a GREAT time to pick up gorgeous items for baby gifts - little ones in your life - little girls special occasions - even flower girl dresses!

You’ll find FANTASTIC choices for last-minute First Communion dresses, Flower Girl dresses - and more . . . .

In stock and ready to ship!

We just received a shipment of these dresses today to fill existing orders and we all went absolutely nuts!

These dresses are drop-dead GORGEOUS.  We cannot say enough about how much they impressed us.  The photos don’t begin to do it justice!

They’re very special.  Unique.  Not run-of-the-mill by any means. 

The fine netting lace (Schiffli) is one of the most beautiful types of lace in the world.  This dress not only has the lace - it is lightly beaded and sequined.

The lace drops below the ruched satin accent at the waistline to form a peplum effect over the full tulle skirt.

STUNNING!

The square neck is not often seen, either. It is modest, though it does dip a bit deeper in the back (but not way - way down).  The satin sash ties into a glorious bow in the back.

This is a dress of TEXTURES.  Lace - satin - and tulle with beading.  Frothy and rich in elegant details and yet not over-done.

It is a FABULOUS choice for many purposes - Flower Girl dresses, Miniature/Junior Bride dresses, Pageant Formal Wear dresses and yes, First Communion dresses!

Dress #SWC-403 is from the Justin Alexander Couture line.  It is definitely a very special dress for a very special young lady!

- I need flower girl dresses to [match] my Vera Wang bride’s maids’ dresses in “Ice blue”

- Do you have anything in “Calypso?”"

We hear these all the time . . . . and yet, does it really tell us anything?  What is really in the “name” of a color?  Is there a standardized list of color names somewhere?

These are questions we’ll cover here.

In truth - the “name” of a color is something concocted by the designer.  They want the name of the color to gel with the “aura” they want surrounding their design collection for the season.

So, “Ice Blue” looks a whole lot like pale blue with a slight hint of green - frequently called Robin’s Egg Blue.

Calypso looks a whole like fuschia or hot pink.

And what color IS “Rum Pink”?   (Though I love it, it’s barely pink at all!)

This season “green” is no longer just “green”, it’s “lettuce”, “pistachio”, “Spring green”, “celery”, etc.  Of course, each is a different shade.

Have you ever wondered what the difference is between “Red”, “Christmas Red” and “Valentine’s Red” or “Apple Red”?  We have.  It has a lot more to do with when the designer intends to sell that garment than what the color actually looks like.  It creates a mood.  Will you see differences between shades if a company offers several of these?  Yes, you will!

But are the shades consistent from one company to another?

Nope.  Not at all.

One company’s “Apple Red” is another’s “Red” or “Christmas Red” or another term they prefer to use.

These terms sound so much more tantalizing than “lt blue” or “red” or “green”, and that’s what the designers are going for, you see.  These terms create an image in your mind and make them more desirable.

But that picture in your mind is exclusive to you — nobody else can see it. 

More answers to your questions about our fantastic Communion Portrait Drawing . . . .

 How do I post my photo/video?

That’s a GREAT question!  However, we’re not technical people here.  We know dresses and suits and special occasion customs and things like that inside and out, but we’re not techies.  Wish we were!  (Gosh - wouldn’t THAT be great?!?!?)

This is one thing I can say for sure though - just about every teenager in the country knows how so there’s lot of help out there for you!  There is “HELP” on the sites as well and lots of tutorials if you Google for them.  It HAS to be simple (admittedly not to this old brain) because bazillions of people are doing it every day!

So don’t stress over it - there are lots of folks out there who can help you at the drop of a hat.

Who knows, you might get “the bug” for it!

The news is HUGE about our First Communion portrait drawing!

 Let’s answer your questions . . . .

Does the Communion photo have to be from Spring 2008? 

No!  It can be any time showing garments purchased from The Perfect Pear since opening in 1993!

Does the photo I post have to be the child I want in the portrait if we win?

Yes, please.  That’s the whole point!

Read more about our First Communion Portrait Drawing - to win a beautiful, hand-painted portrait of your child, grandchild or godchild - by scrolling down to read the announcement or go directly to:

Communion Portrait Drawing

Keep your questions coming in - we’ll be happy to answer!