Top Bonanzle Seller Series Vol. 2: Featuring: Diaperchef

It is with great enthusiasm that I bring you the second installment in my "Top Bonanzle Seller Series." After careful consideration of the amazing sellers that Bonanzle has to offer I chose... drumroll, please... Diaperchef of "My Three Sons Marketplace." It's never an easy task to choose who I will feature, as Bonanzle boasts so many wonderful sellers. But choose I must and so I did! I am more than proud to share with you today the wonderful "diaperchef!"

I know first-hand what an amazing person Lauren a/k/a diaperchef is. I stress "person" because the sellers that I feature are not just sellers to me - they are very special people that I have personally purchased from and have come to know, respect, and in many instances consider a friend.

So, let me tell you know what I know about Lauren - the amazing diaper cake creator. She is the consummate professional and what intrigues me the most about her is her total dedication to her work. She is always on a quest to create her next incredible design. She puts so much time, effort and genuine care into her work. She truly is an inspiration for anyone who wants to be successful running their own business. I also know that Lauren takes great pride in her work which is key to success and more importantly - to ensuring happy customers.

Let me tell you a personal story about a transaction I had with Lauren - diaperchef of My Three Sons Marketplace. Of course, I came across her Booth while shopping on Bonanzle. I was looking for a special gift for my lovely niece, who was a little over a year old at the time. I saw some of Lauren's gorgeous diaper cakes in her Booth and I had an idea in mind for my niece and wondered if she could design it for me. I inquired of her and she said she could certainly create what I wanted. Well, what I wanted was something wild! I asked her if she could make me a diaper cake that featured a "French, shopping, trendy, maybe a cat? (hey what do I know? lol) theme." Was I ever surprised with what she came up with! It was incredible - it was wild - it was beautiful - it was PERFECT! It was pink and black with a zebra print and came with a unique and stunning dress with a French cat on it (Ha! I got my cat!) as well as a little black handbag and some adorable handcrafted barrettes. My best friend (my niece's mother) absolutely LOVED it! It was the perfect gift that I couldn't have found anywhere else. Would you like to see it? You can - right HERE! Isn't it amazing?

You see, you can get a most special and completely unique gift for the new moms in your life too! And her items are not only geared for new moms, but make excellent gifts for baby showers, baptisms, wedding showers, holidays, birthdays and more!

I love to allow my readers to get to know the sellers I feature as well as I do. So, like in Volume 1 of this Series, I once again give you the pleasure of hearing from Lauren a/k/a diaperchef, herself, in her own words:


"Selling on-line is a relatively new adventure for me, one that began about three years ago while I was on a leave of absence from my teaching position to have my second child. The last twenty years I have worked as an English language arts teacher and reading specialist in the public schools. I received my Masters degree in reading and shortly after was blessed to have two children fourteen months apart. With three sons ( now ages 16, 3, 2), I became a stay-at-home mother which quickly evolved into a work-at-home-mother when I ventured into e-commerce and began my new career as an on-line seller. At present, I have my own website, sell on Bonanzle, sell locally, and have returned to teaching part-time at a local private school.

My businesses, My Three Sons Marketplace and The Diaper Chefs, specialize in boutique, custom-made diaper cakes for baby shower gifts and centerpieces as well as towel cakes for bridal showers, hostess gifts, and birthdays. In addition, my Bonanzle booth also boasts infant clothing, hand-knitted afghans for babies, and personalized mini-books for children. While I enjoy selling clothing and books, the diaper cakes have become my real passion. I enjoy creating one-of-a-kind diaper cake creations for the expectant and new mother. The birth of a baby is such an exciting and special time, and it is with great joy that I create and design cakes to celebrate this memorable time in parents' lives.


I know you have many options of where to purchase your diaper cake for the special, expectant or new mother. What makes my cakes stand out from the rest?

*You will receive individualized, professional, friendly, unbeatable customer service from beginning to end.
*My cakes are made from name brand diapers. I exclusively used Pampers Swaddlers diapers for my cakes.
*Flexibility! You can select a different diaper brand such as Parent's Choice, Huggies, Seventh Generation, even cloth diapers! What a different size diaper? Do you see an in-stock cake, but want to alter the theme or design? I will work with you to make a completely customized cake!
*Variety! I create, design, and sell cakes for baby's first birthday, Baptism, holidays, and more!
* My specialty is creating and designing custom made cakes. Have a special theme in mind that matches the baby shower or baby's nursery? On a budget? I will work with you to create a cake that you and mom are completely satisfied with.
*My cakes are not massed produced. I hand select all accessories and clothing for each cake I design. Cakes are not made until you order one; then it is freshly "baked" and wrapped in cellophane just for you!
*I add unique accessories to my cakes such as handmade hair bows, cloth diaper wipes/wash cloths, soaps, blankets, bibs, and more. I support other work-at-home mothers by purchasing their handmade items for my cakes.

I am honored and appreciative that Nicole invited me to be a featured seller on her blog. Selling on Bonanzle since October 2008, I am dedicated and loyal to growing my business on this state-of-the-art selling venue." ~Lauren a/k/a diaperchef

My dear readers, I hope you enjoyed reading about Lauren and her wonderful business and creations as much as I enjoyed writing about her. I can guarantee you that you will be treated like gold as a customer of hers. You will receive from her not only a very special and memorable creation, but you will also encounter one of the most professional, courteous and friendliest sellers that Bonanzle has to offer.

Please stop by and visit her Booth. You can shop, browse, or just say Hi! I'm sure she would love to see you!

You can find Lauren's Blog here: http://diaperchef.blogspot.com/

Thank you again my friends for sharing your time with me.

Top Bonanzle Seller Series: Featuring: Forget Me Not Mineral Makeup

I am pleased to share with you the latest addition to my Blog - the "Top Bonanzle Seller Series." As many of you know I sell online at www.Bonanzle.com under the name "CityChic." I have owned and operated an e-commerce sales business for three years. I discovered the wonderful world of Bonanzle in November 2008. As some of you also know I have periodically chronicled the success of Bonanzle on my Blog (see previous posts). I am happy to report that Bonanzle is still growing rapidly in number of registered users, unique visitors, sales and online presence.

I admit I do a lot of shopping on Bonanzle. As a result of my many shopping sessions (and hundreds of purchases) I have come to know many of Bonanzle's sellers and their products. I think it would only be fair that I let my readers know of some of the wonderful Booth Owners at Bonanzle and so I decided that I will feature a specific Bonanzle Booth on my Blog in my new "Top Bonanzle Seller Series." This series will highlight the sellers that I have found to be the cream of the crop - i.e. are trustworthy, provide excellent customer service and carry outstanding products.

This will not be your ordinary Booth review - so be prepared to grab a cup of coffee and something to eat while you enjoy your stay here. I have (and will) interview all of the Booth owners that I feature so that I can share with you their personal stories, which I hope you will find as interesting, motivating and as special as I do.

The first Booth I would like to tell you about will appeal to makeup lovers everywhere. The Booth is Forget Me Not and is owned and operated by a wonderful Seller named Liz. Forget Me Not features mineral makeup which is created and produced by Liz herself. I can honestly say that her mineral makeup is by far the best I have ever used. It goes on smoothly and gives one a flawless appearance. The colors that she creates are bold, stunning and unique. I haven't found comparable colors anywhere else. Most importantly, her makeup lasts all day - I only have to apply it once in the morning and I have never needed to touch it up throughout the day - not once. That's pretty amazing in my book. You know what (or should I say "who") else is pretty amazing? Well, that of course would be Liz herself. I am genuinely thrilled to write about her. She is not only a rare talent and remarkable business woman, but she is one of the sweetest people I have ever had the pleasure of getting to know. And so now it gives me great pleasure to introduce you to Liz and to share her passion for her craft with you, in her own words...

"I started my makeup addiction early on, with my grandmas lipsticks and powders when I was just a wee little thing. From then on I was just fascinated by all these beauty products that I wasn’t allowed to wear yet!!!

Makeup in general gives me such happiness – but actually knowing & understand what is in the makeup I created & wear is just a whole different level of happiness – that I can’t even describe!!!

Like many women, when I started out with minerals, I started out with a major national brand – which at first I was in LOVE with. I thought it was the greatest thing next to cupcakes. (which I just LOOOVE) Needless to say, as time went on I found that it was making my skin itch which then turned into a rash overtime. I thought at first the itching was from my moisturizer or maybe my primer or just something random. So I tested till I came to the conclusion that it was my beloved mineral makeup. In doing a little research I found many other out there like me, who were sensitive to an ingredient called Bismuth Oxychloride – which gives their mineral foundation that “glow”.

Now, knowing that Bismuth has the same properties as arsenic... there is no way I would put that stuff anywhere near my face. No wonder, it made me itch and gave me a rash!!! However, since I had fallen in love with mineral makeup and I just couldn’t give it up, I decided to venture out and look for other companies and experiment some more. I mean really … this gave me an excuse to fuel my already out of control beauty addiction, but this time it was different – I was on a quest! To my surprise I ran across all sorts of indie mineral makeup companies & most were bismuth free & I was thrilled!! After testing out a few, I found a formulation that I really liked and was happy with until I got curious… to have a business in mind when I started experiment, it just kind of grew into one, but I am loving it.

So now, I am in the business to formulate simple, luxurious good for your skin makeup which is still natural, yet fun for the everyday woman. I am just excited to be able to share this love for minerals with other women." ~Liz, Owner of Forget Me Not Mineral Makeup.

I commend Liz for following her heart and doing what she loves. It is a bold step to follow a dream and then an extraordinary satisfaction when that dream is realized. Through her creation of Forget Me Not Makeup, Liz has realized her dream and fortunately for all of us it is a dream that is shared with us.

So, if you are a lover of mineral makeup, an admirer of someone who pursues, realizes and materializes her passion, and a supporter of hard workers, then please pay a visit to Liz at Forget Me Not. Maybe even make a purchase. You will be happy that you did and I'm certain you will become a regular customer!

You can also visit and learn more about Liz and Forget Me Not at her Blog: http://forgetmenotmineralmakeup.blogspot.com/ or at her My Space page: http://www.myspace.com/forgetmenotmmu

Oh - and that awesome makeup you see at the side of my blog page - that's Forget Me Not - gorgeous isn't it?

Going Solo

Happy Sunday everyone! I apologize for not writing sooner, but I have been so busy. I am currently in the process of opening my own law firm, and so you can imagine that things are quite hectic for me at the moment.

I just wanted to pop in and check in with you all quickly to let you know where I've been and what I've been up to. I truly plan on blogging regularly again within a few weeks - can't wait!

I do however, have a favor to ask: As you may know, I have TWO careers - one as attorney, and the other as business owner of an on-line sales business (many of you know me as "CityChic" on www.Bonanzle.com and as such I enjoy writing about the law/politics AND e-commerce/social media. I would love it if you, my dear readers, would take a second to reply and let me know if you think I should separate my blog into two separate blogs OR do you wish to read about both topics in one place? It might make it a lot more interesting...

Thank you and I hope to hear your thoughts!

Congress: READ the Fine Print

I am astonished to discover that Congress STILL doesn't read the Bills that they are entrusted by the American people to vote for on our behalf. (Remember how Hillary Clinton did not read the intelligence reports before voting on the Iraq War in 2002? Did not we learn anything about the importance of reading documents since then?) Now, I am sure we all are guilty of not reading "the fine print" in every single document we sign, i.e. have you ever seen an insurance contract? Of course you have. Now, being that most insurance contracts are contracts of adhesion, in essence it really doesn't matter whether or not you read every single provision. Contracts of adhesion are take it or leave it - you have no say in the matter. Now, on the other hand, proposed legislation is precisely an example of documentation in which the drafters, readers and voters do indeed have a say in the matter. When a House Rep or Senator votes "yay" or "nay" do not we, their constituencies, hope, if not take for granted that they will read the documents that spell out our very future? I do not think that is too much to believe to be true. However, I was blown away yesterday during an interview by MSNBC's Norah O'Donnell of California Rep Maxine Waters. Rep. Waters ADMITTED that the members of Congress do NOT read the Bills before they vote! Are you kidding me? The American people are currently up in arms and outraged over the "AIG Bonus Debacle" (phrase coined by me) and every day this past week we have watched the theatrics of numerous members of Congress feign equal outrage over said "AIG Bonus Debacle." How can they possibly be outraged when they were the very ones with the dominion and control over said AIG bonuses?

Congress, if you are going to pass legislation that you DON'T READ, then please do not have the audacity to rant and rave about the outcome of said legislation. If you can't do your jobs, then at least do us, the people, this one favor and read, just read.

My Response to a Query about the Future of eBay

Good afternoon! I just read a very interesting article which ponders the future of eBay (as its next annual shareholder meeting is only two months away) over at The Motley Fool called "Give eBay a Kick in the Pants" and I thought it was an article worthy of commentary. Here is my response to the article:

On February 18, 2009, at 2:58 PM, CityChic wrote:

What should eBay do? lol - It's way too late for eBay to do anything. The good news is we don't need eBay to do anything anymore as we now have a new and better venue to buy and sell and that is www.Bonanzle.com.

Like others before me have said www.Bonanzle.com is the place to be. Bonanzle is growing faster than you can imagine - but if you come over and check it out, you won't have to imagine... Former eBay buyers and sellers are fleeing there by the thousands at a record pace.

So eBay, don't worry, you don't have to do anything to try to recover, because quite simply, we don't need you anymore. www.Bonanzle.com has solved your problems for you.



I think the above pretty much sums it up it for eBay, don't you?

So, Where is Bonanzle Now?

I last posted about Bonanzle.com a little less than three months ago (November 24, 2008 to be exact). At the time of that posting I was just a "newbie" member of this cute little on-line marketplace called "Bonanzle." I remember writing at the time that we had almost 10,000 members. WOW!

So, where is Bonanzle now? Let me proudly tell you that this little on-line marketplace has grown, boy has she grown. Bonanzle now has almost 31,000 registered members, and over one million listings! In fact, at the time of this writing, according to Powersellerunite.com Bonanzle has 1,311,137 listings to be precise (and that number is rising at an incredible rate of speed). Bonanzle is nipping at the heels of the behemoth (that would be eBay - as if you didn't know that). Not only is Bonanzle currently in 4th place on PSU (perhaps 3rd place - they don't seem to count ebid?), Bonanzle wasn't even on the PSU list a mere month ago. I'm not really sure why, maybe it was too small to be worth putting on the "radar" for serious buyers and sellers. Well, it's there now and it deserves to be there.

It is with great amazement and pride that I watch the stunning growth of Bonanzle. I like a "good" story with a happy ending.

It is not necessary to rehash all of the gory details of the many sellers, Powersellers and buyers who "broke-up" or are currently trying to "break-up" with eBay. But, if you are not familiar with the sad story of the relationship between eBay and its users, let me just tell you it had to do with being treated in a way you wouldn't want to be treated in a business relationship, or any relationship for that matter.

So for over a year now, fleeing eBay sellers and buyers alike have been looking for "the place." That "place" that would replace what eBay took away from us. That "place" has finally been discovered and it is REAL. It is not just a mirage or a dream anymore. It exists, it really does, in the form of Bonanzle.com.

Normally, I would end my little synopsis, update, whatever you want to call it right here, you know, keep it short and sweet. But I know that people who are unfamiliar with Bonanzle.com are going to have a few questions, the most important and common question being "Do your items sell there?" Blunt, to the point, and understandable. I will answer you from my own personal knowledge. the answer is a resounding "YES!" I have been a seller on Bonanzle now for three months. My Booth's name is "CityChic's Booth." If you visit me there, you will see I have about 185 items listed in my shop. I have always had between 140-190 items available for sale at any one time. I can proudly tell you that to date I have sold 100 items and that in fact, this week, I sold more items on Bonanzle than I did on eBay (yes, I am still a Powerseller there as well). I know other sellers on Bonanzle who have sold MORE than I have and many other sellers who are selling at a more consistent pace every day. If you are a seller looking for a new home for your wares, Bonanzle is the place to be.

Not only is Bonanzle the fastest-growing new on-line marketplace where individual sellers share a venue, it is also the friendliest. Bonanzle stands heads above any other site you have visited in terms of its interactive and friendly community. You see, one thing that Bonanzle has that eBay simply put, does not, is customer support. If you have a question as a Buyer or Seller, you will be answered by a member of the Bonanzle support team in record time, usually by one of its owners, Bill Harding or Mark Dorsey. What other site boasts such incredible service? None that I can think of.

A little earlier I said I like a good story with a happy ending. Bonanzle is far from ending, it is just beginning. What is ending is the relentless quest for a new on-line selling venue that works so reliance on eBay is no longer necessary. The happy ending is that there finally is another place to successfully run your on-line business and buy really cool things at great prices.