Direct Sales is a Booming Business - Over $125 billion in 2010

Having fun at a Tomboy Tools Tool Party

There is a buzz in the news about the booming business of direct sales.  The Direct Selling Association reported over $28 billion in U.S. direct retail sales in 2009 and over $125 billion in revenue in 2010 in 150 countries through more than 75 million men and women.  In the June 24, 2011 Wall Street Journal’s 40-page supplement on direct selling, financial advisors and investors are both seeing direct selling companies with new eyes, focusing on the efficient business model, rapid growth, and generally low on-going capital investment after the initial surge. 

Products and services delivered directly to customers through personalized presentations that are often educational, entertaining, and certainly social have enabled direct selling to thrive for decades even through recessions, including this latest one.  Large companies are downsizing and people are looking for new jobs, opportunities and ways to supplement their income. Home party opportunities can be a fun and profitable home based business.

Over 16 million men and women earn income through direct sales in the U.S. (over 75 million worldwide) and over 78 percent of the American public has bought goods or services through direct sales. There is no better time to get involved in the home party business.  Direct selling offers people the skills and tools to create new income opportunities – to venture out on their own as entrepreneurs and grow in confidence versus being consumed by the fear associated with a shrinking job market.  

A career in direct sales is a great way to help pay for that new car you have always wanted, or that special vacation you’ve been dreaming of, or to help pay for your children’s school tuition or extra bills. The beauty is that a career in direct sales could result in an annual “vacation of a lifetime,” year after year. 

Tomboy Tools created this company to offer quality, lightweight, ergonomically designed tools and education through in home parties and our website.  What we never envisioned was that women from all over the world would visit our website and tell us their stories and become our guides.  We have been so touched by the stories we have heard from women who told us about trying to maintain their living spaces on their own, afraid of what they didn’t know, and the difficulties they faced. 

The reason for this is simple, the timing is perfect with the growing trend of women becoming more and more involved in DIY (Do it Yourself) projects. There is also a growing trend of single women buying houses at the rate of 2 to 1 over men.

Now it is a necessity for many women to do basic home projects and maintain their home on their own:

• Women spend $80 billion on home improvement
• 77.9 million Females (U.S.) undertook a home improvement project in the past two years
• 80% of household purchases are decided by women
• 1 of 3 women (17% of total population) consider themselves Do-It-Yourselfers (DIY)

Tomboy Tools is a perfect fit with this growing trend. We show women that these projects and repairs are not rocket science.  When each of us at Tomboy Tools quit waiting on someone else and began to gain the skills and confidence to tackle projects ourselves, we discovered something interesting.  It empowered us! 

With a little knowledge and the right tools you can go a long way. Saving money and time, along with increasing your confidence level is priceless. It’s come full circle for many and they are thankful they took that first step. 

(U.S. Census Bureau, Home Improvement Research Institute, Wall Street Journal, Direct Selling Association & Tomboy Tools, Inc.)

Living Green For the Holidays

Find out what you can do to help make a difference in our environment throughout the holiday season and everyday! Whether you're at home, on the go, in the office, or at school, there are many opportunities to go green by Reducing, Reusing, and Recycling.

Check out these quick tips from the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA):

Wrap gifts in recycled or reused wrapping paper or funny papers. Also remember to save or recycle used wrapping paper. Give gifts that don't require much packaging, such as concert tickets or gift certificates.

Send recycled-content greeting cards to reduce the amount of virgin paper used during the holidays. Remember to recycle any paper cards you receive. You can also try sending electronic greeting cards to reduce paper waste.

Have a create-your-own-decorations party! Invite family and friends to create and use holiday decorations such as ornaments made from old greeting cards or cookie dough, garlands made from strung popcorn or cranberries, wreaths made from artificial greens and flowers, and potpourri made from kitchen spices such as cinnamon and cloves.

After holiday festivities, put leftovers in recyclable containers, and share them with family, friends, or others. Donate whole, untouched leftovers from parties to a local food bank or homeless shelter.

After parties, fill your dishwasher to capacity before running it. You will run fewer cycles, which saves energy.

Bake cookies or other goodies and package them in reusable and/or recyclable containers as gifts. Home-made goodies show how much you care and help you avoid packaging waste.

To help prevent waste from cutting down and disposing of live trees, you can buy a potted tree and plant it after the holidays.

Approximately 33 million live Christmas trees are sold in North America every year. After the holidays, look for ways to recycle your tree instead of sending it to a landfill. Check with your community solid waste department and find out if they collect and mulch trees. Your town might be able to use chippings from mulched trees for hiking trails and beachfront erosion barriers.

About 40 percent of all battery sales occur during the holiday season. Buy rechargeable batteries to accompany your electronic gifts, and consider giving a battery charger as well. Rechargeable batteries reduce the amount of potentially harmful materials thrown away, and can save money in the long run.

Consider the durability of a product before you buy it as a gift. Cheaper, less durable items often wear out quickly, creating waste and costing you money.

When buying gifts, check product labels to determine an item's recyclability and whether it is made from recycled materials. Buying recycled encourages manufacturers to make more recycled-content products available.

After holiday festivities, put leftovers in recyclable containers, and share them with family, friends, or others. Donate whole, untouched leftovers from parties to a local food bank or homeless shelter.

Think "green" while shopping the President's Day sales. Bring your own reusable cloth bag for carrying your purchases, and try to buy items with minimal packaging and/or made with recycled content. For example, buy fleece jackets made from recycled soda bottles, sneakers made with recycled rubber soles, or clothes made from recycled cotton scraps.

Stain Removal Tricks and Tips

People throw out all sorts of items just because they're stained.  This is enormously wasteful, particularly when a few stain-removal tricks can clean up the item completely.  When you spill, no matter the fabric or the stain, immediately blot up as much as you can with a paper towel or light-colored rag.  This often removes enough of the stain that laundering can remove the rest.

The reason that many stains are labeled "stubborn" is because people aren't using the proper chemical to fight the stain.  For example, all the protein-based stain removers in the world won't be helpful on the oil stain on your favorite pants; nore will all the oil solvents in the world help a milk stain.  The stain fighting rules are the same for any stain:  immediately run the stain under cool water before it has set.

The Four Main Stain Fighters:

From now on, there are three main categories of stains: "inky," "protein," and "oily."  The category of stain dictates the stain treatment.  You should keep a small supply of each of these in your bathroom.

Glycerine.  Glycerine is ideal for "inky" stains, such as pen stains, dark wine stains, or fruit juice stains.  Let the glycerine sit on the stain before using your super-secret weapon, liquid dish detergent, which is made to remove food dyes.

Detergents.  These are the laundry detergents, officially called enzyme detergents, that you find in the laundry aisle - Wisk, Tide, et cetera.  They work best on protein-based stains, such as milk or blood.  Protein stains are anything that comes from a person or animal, including sweat, feces, blood, and milk. (Yum.)  For a bad stain, first run the stain under cold water, before applying detergent directly onto the damp stain, and letting it sit for twenty (20) minutes.

Oil Removers.  Oil removers, officially called oil solvents ("solvent" = dissolver), remove "oily" stains such as lotion, butter, or accidental sprays of cooking grease.  Oil removers should be applied to the stain and left to sit for at least fifteen (15) minutes.  The big name brand is Carbona.

Combination Solvents.  A number of stain removal sticks and sprays have begun to include both enzyme and oil removers.  Name brands include Shout and Stain Stick.

Other Stain Fighters:

Vinegar.  A 1:1 mix of white vinegar and water is ideal for loosening dyes from fabrics, particularly nonwashable materials such as your couch upholstery.  First soak the stain in vinegar and water, and then apply the appropriate oil solvent or detergent.  Vinegar is also an excellent odor remover for everything from the exercise shirt that you really want to continue using to your carpet, which can handle a 1:5 vinegar-to-water rinse.  The vinegar odor disappears surprisingly quickly.

Bleach.  Bleach will get rid of most stains, with the caveat that it will turn the stain and the surrounding area bright white.  Bleach essentially eats right through both stains and the fabrics below, so the idea is to use 1:6 part mixture on a stain just until the stain disappears, and then thoroughly rinse off any remaining bleach.

Confusing Stains:

The stains that you're probably not quite sure how to classify:

Coffee and tea.  Immediately run cold water over the stain, then use a combination solvent.  Wash normally.

Gum:  Hold an ice cube onto the gum and crack off what you can.  The remaining stain is an oil stain, so use an oil solvent.

Urine.  This will begin coming up around child-bearing age.  Soak in a 1:1 mix of vinegar and water.  Then wash with detergent.

Mustard, grass, finger paint  and cola.  All will leave behind a dye stain on your white shirt.  First soak in a 1:1 mix of vinegar and water, then use the secret weapon, liquid dish detergent.

Antiperspirant, deodorant, makup, chocolate, candles, crayon, and tomato sauce.  When in doubt, you're probably dealing with a protein/oil mix and need to use a combination solvent.

Living Green with Tomboy Tools

The best place to start making a difference is right in your own home. Learn how you can reduce, reuse, and recycle materials to decrease household waste!  These resources below from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) will help you get started.

At Home Quick Tips:

• Reduce food waste by using up the food you already bought and have in the house instead of buying more. You already paid for it - so use it!
• Non-perishable and unspoiled perishable food can be donated to local food banks, soup kitchens, pantries, and shelters.
• Reuse items around the house such as rags and wipes, empty jars and mugs, party decorations, and gift wrap.
• Buy products in concentrate, bulk, and in refillable containers. They reduce packaging waste and can save you money!
• Return used car tires to retailers or wholesalers that recycle or retread them. Tires are banned from most landfills, and illegally dumped tires become breeding grounds for mosquitoes and other pests.
• When buying products, check the labels to determine an item's recyclability and whether it is made from recycled materials. Buying recycled encourages manufacturers to make more recycled-content products available.

Lawn and Garden Quick Tips:

• Feed your soil with compost; make compost at home, or buy it in bags or bulk. Compost helps sandy soils hold nutrients and water, loosens clay soils, and feeds the beneficial soil life so it can feed and protect your plants.
• Mow higher and leave the clippings. Modern mulching lawn mowers make "grasscycling" even easier. Homeowners can reduce their mowing time by 30 to 40 percent by not having to bag clippings.
• Choose the right plant for the right place. Select plants that grow well in your area of the country and fit the amount of sun, type of soil and water available in your yard.
• Give plants a good start. Prepare the soil by mixing one to three inches of compost into soil in planting beds.
• Water deeply, but infrequently. Most plants do best if the soil is allowed to partially dry out between waterings.

Household Hazardous Waste (HHW) Quick Tips:

• Properly store any unused paint for future use, donate unused paint to neighbors or charities, or turn in your used paint to a waste collection facility for recycling.
• Buy products that contain minimal amounts, or no, hazardous ingredients. Use alternative methods or products - without hazardous ingredients - for common household needs, such as making a household cleaning solution from 1 cup of warm water, 3 drops of vegetable-based liquid soap, 1 teaspoon of baking soda, and 1 tablespoon of white vinegar.
• Products that contain hazardous ingredients should be used and stored properly to prevent accidents in the home. Never store hazardous products in food containers; keep them in their original containers and never remove labels. Corroding containers may require special handling. Call your local hazardous materials official or fire department for instructions.
• Recycle or safely dispose of your HHW

Basic Fix-It Rules

Rule #1.  Always turn OFF the power or water or both when working on any plumbing or electrical projects.  With electricity, this rule is crucial to your safety.  With plumbing, it may help avert a flood.

Rule #2.  Take one step at a time and read the directions before you start your project.  Make sure you note what is connected to what as you disassemble something.  Mark all wires and make diagrams and notes if you are faced with putting something back together.  Even though a project looks easy, read the directions if you have them.  This will save time and aggravation!

Rule #3.  "Right is tight and left is loose."  Remember that to tighten screws and nuts you turn them clockwise or to the right.  To loosen them, turn them counterclockwise or to the left.  In a few situations, you will turn them the opposite direction.  Bike pedals and an occasional plumbing part will be threaded backwards.  If you cannot get the screw or nut tightened by turning it to the right, try the other direction.  Sometimes the threads on the screw or nut are stripped or damaged and will not tighten in either direction.  In the is case, replace the defective fastener.


Rule #4.  Do not start a project with a limited amount of time available.  You need to be able to take your time to understand what is happening.  Nothing ever takes as short a time as you would like.  You do not want to rush anything.  Rushing only causes problems, headaches and money!


Rule #5.  Dress properly for these projects.  Plan to get dirty or wet while undertaking these fix-it repairs.  You may not get dirty or wet, but it is wise to be prepared for it.


Rule #6.  Be aware of plumbing and electrical code law.  In both cases, these laws are written by local governments.  The general rule is that an individual may undertake repairs that restore an electrical or plumbing component of their house to its original condition.  For changes or additions to your plumbing or electrical systems, a permit may be required.  Consult your local building inspector. 

Do you have other basic fix-it rules that you live by?  If so, share them with us!

Home Improvement Trends 2011: The Infographic

Home improvement projects are finally on the rise as the American economy slowly gets better. This makes now a more exciting time than ever to take on a renovation project and create that dream space. If your dream space isn’t set in stone or has become a little hazy as you stalled its implementation and you need some inspiration, we want to get you answers. No matter what stage of the remodeling process you’re in, you may be asking yourself what’s hot in the home improvement world? What trends are sweeping through the nation, inspiring homeowners everywhere? Which ones should you pay attention to and which ones should be forgotten?

Thanks to eLocal, they asked experts to predict the home improvement trends for 2011. From design to fixtures and layout to construction, all of 2011′s trends can be found here directly from the source—the experts.

We wanted to share with you this cool Infographic that best explains the latest and greatest in 2011 Home Improvement Trends:


Source: eLocal.com