BUG BITS - Green Goat

Its not every day a green goat comes into your life, but that is exactly what happened to me only a few short weeks ago. I met the fun and lovely Mel Quick, founder of gorgeous online children's boutique - Green Goat!

One of Green Goat's stand out items is a range of simple, traditional toys that inspire creativity and also happen to be great fun to play with. As August/September is the time when many publications are putting together their Christmas edition (eek!) we wanted to highlight the joy of traditional toys, with a flavour of the festive season:

How many of us have watched our kids playing with wrapping paper instead of the gift that it contained??!! (I've got my hand up, by the way!)


To find out more about Green Goat click here.

As this press release is the first in our PR plan for 2009/10 you'll hear more about Green Goat here later in the year.


Jen x

Dot's Giggle Spot #3

Worker No.1 - "Err, I doesn't look right Joe - I think something's missing..."

Worker No.2 - "Oh, Bugger."

Spelling is everything!

x

Grammar on the Porch #2

Is it just me, or do high school English classes slide further and further away with every year? Thank goodness I have "Grammar on the Porch". Good old Grammar loves to visit The Letterbug from time to time for a nice cup of tea and a natter about the English language. She knows we know - really she does. But just in case...




Image kindly supplied by Toni Grote - visit www.artisttonigrote.blogspot.com to see more of her beautiful artwork

That vs. Which

Now then dears, it seems to be that some folks get mixed up when it comes to that vs which. Using these words in some circumstances is straight forward and needs no explanation, but in other circumstances it can be ever so confusing. Let me sort it out for you dear.

RULE #1

That introduces essential clauses while which introduces nonessential clauses.


EXAMPLES:

• I do not trust aerobics classes that claim "Suitable for all ages" because they are often most unsuitable for Grammar (89 years old).

We would not know which aerobics classes were being discussed without the that clause.

• The aerobics class claiming "suitable for all ages," which appeared in the local newspaper, is on today.

The product is already identified. Therefore, which begins a nonessential clause.

NOTE:
Essential clauses do not have commas surrounding them while nonessential clauses are surrounded by commas.

RULE #2

If this, that, these, or those has already introduced an essential clause, you may use which to introduce the next clause, whether it is essential or nonessential.

EXAMPLES:

• That is a moment which you will cherish for the rest of your life.


• Those potatoes, which we've boiled already, do not need to be roasted quite as long.

NOTE:
Often, you can streamline your sentence by leaving out which.

EXAMPLE:

• That is a moment which you will cherish for the rest of your life.

Better:

• That is a moment you will cherish for the rest of your life.

Oooh, now doesn't all that talk about words make you thirsty? I fancy an Earl Grey with just a drop of milk thank you dear. No, no sugar - its the ruin of all the great leaf beverages you know. But that's another story....

BUG BITS - Healed

Together with my ever so talented friend and colleague, Prue at Gigi & Lulu, I recently worked on a PR campaign for Anna at Healed.

With springtime looming and a range of footcare products to promote, we decided that the Spring Racing Carnival was the perfect platform for Healed. After all, who doesn't want their feet looking and feeling great as they head out to Flemington on race day? (And a product that helps to prevent blisters is worth knowing about for any occasion where a pair of beautiful yet totally impractical shoes might feature!)

Dip your toe into this:

For more information about the wonderful Healed range, click here.

After a long, boot-wearing winter I know my feet are longing to be Healed - its spring in only how many weeks? What - its already here???

Eeeeek!

Jen x

Dot's Giggle Spot #2

Wow, this seems a little extreme...

I guess its the male golfers they're having trouble with at this club??

....chuckle chuckle chuckle

Jen x

Are you a Mumpreneur?

I love working with mumpreneurs - love it! Why? Because I get it, I know where mumpreneurs are at. I am right there with them, juggling two pre-school boys, a husband, job, laundry pile and so on.

I cannot overstate the importance of connecting with the people we choose to work with in business. As a copywriter, this connection enables me to truly collaborate with my clients on their copy projects. Our connection means I can't help but keep working until we are both deliriously happy with the final product.

Being a mum of two little people it seems that the connection with other mums in business is almost automatic, instinctive perhaps.

It takes effort, stamina, commitment and vision to be a mumpreneur, and if that is you right now I salute you. You go girl!

Now please excuse me while I go and extract the lego blocks I just watched Hatchling No.2 post into our sub-woofer speaker!

Jen x

Grammar on the Porch #1

Is it just me, or do high school English classes slide further and further away with every year? Thank goodness I have "Grammar on the Porch". Good old Grammar loves to visit The Letterbug from time to time for a nice cup of tea and a natter about the English language.

She knows we know - really she does. But just in case...

Image kindly supplied by Toni Grote - visit www.artisttonigrote.blogspot.com to see more of her beautiful artwork.

There, Their, They're

"Now then dears, at first glance it seems so simple - and it is! But these three words trip up many an unsuspecting writer. That is because these words are homonyms - words that sound alike but have different meanings. Have a wee peek at the the following examples and you'll be set like a jelly on the there/their/they're matter..."

There
- denotes a place, and means in, at, or to that place.

• I will pop my tea cosy over there.
• Could you please leave my knitting in there?
• There is nowhere like Grammar's house.

Their
- is a determiner belonging to them, a possessive pronoun.

• Will you get a ride in their car?
• I want to play in their bowls team.
• Their sponge cake was the best.

They're
- the contraction of they are. If you can replace "they're" with "they are" then you know you have used the correct homnym

• They're going to the movies tomorrow.
• I wonder what they're going to do afterwards?
• They said they're going out for hot chocolate.

"Its as easy as that dears. Now be a sweetie and pass me another slice of vanilla sponge cake... I'd get it myself only my hip plays up in this weather. You know.... "

Love Grammar X