It Used To Be...

Mrs. Albee, Avon Lady Statue Photo

You'd hear your door bell ring and there was a friendly woman on your front porch saying "Avon Calling!" You'd depend on your local Avon representative to buy everything from nail polish and lipstick to skin cream as well as seasonal items for the holidays. Today's Avon has undergone a metamorphosis. (Although not quite as extreme as the one in Franz Kafka's story.)

Today, Avon reps aren't always 'ladies.' Yes, they are still polite, but you are often just as likely to have an 'Avon Man' as and 'Avon Lady.' Avon is a business. Anyone interested in being in business can sell Avon. So when Uncle Ralph calls you and says he's selling Avon, don't laugh, he probably is. Delaware County in Pennsylvania where I live is hoping to hire at least 100 new representatives before January 2013. Who said there aren't any jobs out there? Not only that, Avon offers it's reps the option to purchase medical insurance through them. No small thing when companies everywhere are cutting back on their benefits or access to benefits.

What else is new at Avon? Your representative has gone electronic. No, I don't mean you can plug them in, but they've hit the Internet so you can shop from the comfort of your home 24/7. How convenient can it get? Avon has recognized how busy your life is, and that sometimes, what you really need to do is shop at 2 AM. It is all about time! (Or your lack thereof.) Avon is trying to make it as easy as possible for you to shop. Why go to Walmart when you can buy from Avon and get your purchases delivered directly to your door?

What hasn't changed? The product quality and knowledge of your local Avon representative. Standing in the aisle of a huge store doesn't offer you the skills your Avon rep can give you--she knows her product and how it can help you. And she'll help you if you want assistance making decisions on the product to buy. Your Avon representative is also happy to stop at your home and help you choose Avon products 'the old fashioned way.' Some things just can't be beat!

Your Avon representative may also offer you the option to hold a home party or book party and earn free Avon products for yourself. I do love the word free. Better yet, I love free product!

Call your local Avon rep. If you don't have one, email me on here and look for the little envelope designating my email at the top under my name. I can get you a catalog, help you with online shopping questions, give you product information, and/or provide you with contacts if you're interested in becoming an Avon representative yourself.

See if you are the Avon representative of the future. Remember, reps come in all shapes and sizes and sexes, men are welcome as well.

Bon Jovi and Friends Help Homeless In Philadelphia

Bon Jovi Video Unplugged for Avon courtesy of YouTube

Our favorite singer and the new face of Avon's holiday perfumes called Unplugged, Jon Bon Jovi was in Philadelphia today to cut the ribbon on a new low income housing project that will have homes that are targeted to low income families or individuals who were previously homeless.  The project, to be known as JBJ Soul Homes is a collaboration between Project HOME and the Greater Exodus Baptist Church, and it will be partially funded by rocker Jon Bon Jovi.

Photo courtesy of JBJ Soul Foundation

Bon Jovi was quoted as saying "We live in a time when we can't rely on just the government or the private sector alone. But these collaborations are so important, especially when the country is so polarized."

The project is part of the revival of the North Broad Street corridor and will inject a $16 million dollar rental housing development combined with locations for businesses.

The Greater Exodus Baptist Church started purchasing derelict houses in the area where Ridge and Fairmont Avenues cross Broad Street. In ten years members spent over $600,000 acquiring derelict homes on a 1.8 acre of space.

Photo courtesy of Project HOME

Sister Mary Scullion(left) and Joan Dawson McConnon(right)

While developers have been changing old offices or factories into fancy lofts apartments, Sister Mary Scullion and Joan Dawson McConnon from Project HOME convinced Rev. Lusk and his Baptist congregation to join them in developing housing for the homeless and poor.

Photo courtesy of Fig Media

40 of the 55 affordable rental units in this low rise building will be set aside for homeless individuals. An affiliate of Greater Exodus will operate retail businesses as not for profit ventures on the ground floor of the building.

Funding for the JBJ Soul Homes was provided from multiple public and private individuals and foundations, key amongst them Bon Jovi's foundation and the Middleton family of Philadelphia. John and Leigh Middleton donated $15 million to Project HOME to attempt to eliminate homelessness in the city of Philadelphia. The Middletons have also supported other housing projects in Philadelphia and are key supporters of Project HOME.

Mayor Nutter, the Middleton family, and Jon Bon Jovi may make the city of Philadelphia the first major city to end homelessness due to their outreach and housing programs.

Middleton is a limited partner in the Philadelphia Phillies. Middleton and his wife are active in the city of Philadelphia's attempt to find affordable housing for the homeless of the city and are attempting to end homelessness in the city of Brotherly Love.

It is believed that approximately 600 people live on the streets in the city of Philadelphia, with another 3,000 surviving by living in local shelters. Many of the shelters are operated by Sister Scullion JBJ Soul Homes will help make a dent in those numbers when it opens next fall.

Bon Jovi is well known for partnering with other philanthropic organizations and companies involved in philanthropic efforts, one of which is the direct sales company, Avon. So the next time you are thinking of buying cologne, think Avon, think Bon Jovi(and his cologne, Unplugged), think saving the homeless.

Sometimes There Is Magic In The Simplest Things

Yellow nail photo from Top Ten Treatments For Yellow Nails

One of the great truisms in life is that sometimes there is magic in the simplest things. This recipe for whiter nails is one of them. Not only that, it's nearly free. What more could you ask for? (OK totally free is better but...)

 

Are you suffering from nails that look off white or yellow because they are always polished or because you love dark nail polish? No, you don't have to stop polishing your nails with your favorite colors, (OK, I heard that sigh of relief!) No, your fashionable fingers do not have to go bare to get the white back. Instead make your own homemade paste and bring your nails back to their original whiteness.

 

The paste is made from:

 

2 1/4 tablespoons of baking soda (that's soda ladies NOT powder)

1 teaspoon hydrogen peroxide

 

Mix it into a paste and apply to your nails, press in using a cotton ball both on top of your nails and underneath the tips. Let sit approximately 3-5 minutes. Rinse until water runs clear and nails are clean and WHITE again! Repeat every six to eight weeks to keep  your nails looking their best.

 

A miracle! Nails that are back to their pristine white state. (Do not worry if you get a little bubbling after applying and rubbing in, hydrogen peroxide is full of little bubbles!) Sometimes there is magic in the simplest things. I told you it was magic, or at least as close as you are going to get!

 

Too lazy to put together your own yellow remover? Spend some of your hard earned cash and buy some denture cleaner, then soak your nails just as you would dentures. OK, I know, gross! I'd rather make my own cleanser, but to each their own!

 

I'd put a photo of my newly whitened nails to show you before and after pics, but I tried this out on my toe nails, and no way are my 'ugly' feet being posted on the web for all to see!

 

Now head over to my Avon site and see all the great nail polishes available! So cool! Some of them are glitter nail enamel, some have a crackle look (known as mosaic top coat), suede nail colors, and some are cool colors. And then there are the usual variety of 'normal' colors--it's up to you!

 

We also have some nail art available for purchase that's easy to use and will save you $$ at the nail salon. Yes, it's all about doing it yourself and saving $$.

 

 

 

AVON Calling--And They Are Calling You!

Have you ever wondered what it's like to be an AVON rep? As a representative myself (looking toward leading my own team) and the mother of an AVON rep, I know a lot about the day to day life of selling AVON.

There are great reasons to sell AVON, and the reasons that work for you are the BEST reasons to decide on a career with AVON. I'll tell you why I love selling AVON.

• Independence - As an AVON rep you work as much or as little as you want. As a busy woman who writes over 15 blogs, works in the mental health field, writes for a newspaper and has other part time jobs, I love the option of working as much or as little as I like. Of course that means I can make as much $$$ as I want to as well. It's all up to me. How hard do you want to work? How many hours are you willing to put into your business. I love being an independent businesswoman--I love CHOICE.
• I love helping people feel good about themselves. From their skin care lines (which help me keep my 'lines' under control) to their great affordable makeup and fashion, AVON lets me offer  my customers some of the best products with a reasonable price tag. I'm all about affordability combined with fashion. I know some of my customers don't have a huge budget, so I help them make the most of what they can afford. Believe me, I remember the days my budget was so tight it squeaked!
• I enjoy bringing my products to customers at their convenience. For my senior customers this means they don't have to worry about driving or getting a senior van to take them to the mall. I  bring the convenient AVON catalog right to them, and deliver later. For other customers it means I can offer them 24/7 online shopping with the added convenience of phone consultations before they choose what to buy. I love seeing my customers but recognize that some of them just don't have a lot of time to have me come to their home.
• I want to help other women move forward into their own career with AVON. I've sold other home party products, but AVON is tops. Starting a career with AVON is only $10--you'll make that back your first order. I think AVON brings power to the individual--whether they are women or men. Yes, there are AVON men out there who are very successfully selling AVON products.
• I love the people I meet working for AVON. From my customers to the other representatives, I enjoy meeting them and learning from them.
• I love using social media to share AVON products with customers. It brings them AVON when I'm working with another customer or at my other job--and keeps it in their minds so they are interested in hearing more about the latest in AVON products.

Why does my daughter (who is thirty like selling AVON?)

• She love sharing AVON products with her friends at work and church, and it gives her a great opportunity to touch base with people she hasn't talked to since leaving school.
• She enjoys hearing someone say "You're an AVON lady! I've been looking for one!!!" There's nothing like being the most popular woman in the room. We went out to lunch the other day and she saw a friend from church, and she stopped to talk to them. She happened to mention she is selling AVON, and she made the woman's day.
• She likes the convenience of selling to the families of her students or to other teachers where she works at a nursery school.
• She loves earning money to help pay for her upcoming wedding without having to punch a time clock. She likes the independence AVON gives her to work when she has the time.

Why would you like to sell AVON? Let's get together. I'd love to stop and talk to you about opportunities that AVON can offer you. Let's see if it's a good fit for you.

If you love sharing fun, fashion and affordibility with friends and neighbors there is a good chance you will enjoy bringing AVON to others. So let's set a time to chat. Email: Nancycels@aol.com Subject Line: AVON.

Don't worry, I love kids, so bring them along, or I can meet you at your home at your convenience. See? AVON is all about your convenience. Don't  you love it already? Or if you'd like an hour away from your children, we can set an appointment up when your significant other or a friend can watch them for you. See you soon!