A little something about you, the author. Nothing lengthy, just an overview.
As the Dallas show closes we thought we would share with you one of the many great new spring items being introduced by The Round Top Collection. Call your rep to see the full line of new designs. They will wow you! This heart bouquet will last much longer than the month of love. 
These beautiful small pillars are unscented and made of recycled beeswax. Arbor Ridge pillars are available in 10 colors: Black, Abyss, Dark Olive, Willow, Beeswax, Brown, Garnet, Red, Rust and Honeycomb. Honeycomb is a new natural color – some might call it ivory – but the color will vary slightly based on where the bees were collecting the pollen. The pillars are 3″wide and will be offered in two heights 4.5″ and 7.5″ – the perfect options for the dining room table where an unscented candle is desired. Call your rep for more information. 
The warm weather has arrived and so have Santa Barbara’s hip new sundae glasses. These can be used as individual glasses or to hold the nuts, fruit, and whipping cream that make any sundae a delicious treat. In this photo the sundae glasses which are available in sets of two are teamed with The Gift Wrap Company’s birthday celebration for a disp
lay that will bring smiles to everyone’s face.
October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month.
Santa Barbara Design has just announced its limited pink ribbon campaign. In addition to the Martini and Wine glass there is also a Champagne flute to help celebrate life and women. Delivery for these glasses will be late August and they expect to sell out before then. There is also a donation being made to the Susan G Komen Fund for each glass sold – so you and your customers can feel great about these glasses that make a statement. Each glass comes packed in its own pink box decorated with the ribbons.
The glasses are shown with The Gift Wrap Company’s plates and napkins in the August Blooms pattern –plates PL2171358, napkins NK4851358 and a Root Glad Tidings Candle in a hand-blown venetian Halo glass.
It is the season for sports and what better way to honor dad than with a glass recognizing his favorite pastime. This photo features several Lolita glasses. On the right we have The 19th Hole wine glass (GLS11-5510F), along with two gambling themed glasses –the Poker Shot Glass (GLS15-5580H) and laying down, the Las Vegas Tini (GLS4-5585V). Tucked between the card related glasses you will find the perfect strike with Bowling (PIL 5550-S). The other two Pilsner glasses honor dad with golf “The 19th Hole” (PIL 5550-A) and basketball with Hoops (PIL5580-S). As a suggested add on to a sale that would please good ole dad and embellish the celebration we are showing two male themed bottle bags from The Gift Wrap Company. On the left is Perfectly Pinned Striped in a silk (7850-30) and on the right Distilled Spirits (2733-79).
Seems someone is always celebrating a significant birthday. Last year big birthdays were celebrated with trips and restaurant parties. Today people are saving money by hosting parties at home. A popular theme is toasting the birthday person with wine. Santa Barbara glasses and The Gift Wrap Company bottle bags and boxes offer a great way to help your customers with gifts and décor. And matched with Root candles the party is ready to rock no matter what the age. In this photo Santa Barbara wine glasses announce the celebration. 50 Plus WIN10-8220K, 40 Plus WIN10-8220J, 30 Plus WIN10-8220H, 60 Plus WIN10-8220L and Nifty 50 WIN10-8220N. These glasses are combines with The Gift Wrap Company papers. The table runner is kraft Chocolate 3374, and we have showcased two wine carriers – the Deco bag SL7620-05 and the Old School Stripe wine box in a recycled brown kraft paper 6379-91. The napkins are from the Wine Country cocktail napkin NK4851288. Root’s Green Tea Queen Bee and Travel Tin candles shown are on sale and will help the birthday celebration. 
How about orchestrating a tea party for a child to celebrate the end of the school year and the passing of another grade? The Gift Wrap Company has some great tools for making a memorable event without a lot of expense or effort. In this photo the Tea Party candy purses (6343-77) were used for the invitations, while the small gift bags with the crocheted trim (6343-15) were used for place cards and favor bags at the party. The larger Cupcakes gift bag (6370-26) with the Kiwi Striped curly bow (18283) set at the front door builds excitement for the party inside. The high gloss wrapping paper in Green Apple (7501) was used as a table runner and it coordinated well with the Florapalooza napkins (NK4850778). If cupcakes were served you might use the Cupcake Boxes as a kid friendly way of serving the treats. Here we show the Garden Toss Cupcake box (5933-49) sitting on top of Candy Dot Spot (5929-49). These cute boxes are also a great way to show appreciation for Girl Scout leaders, Sunday school teachers and soccer coaches. These gift boxes make a simple gift have WOW impact.
With the holidays passing we officially can now acknowledge spring has arrived. This offers you the opportunity to showcase new colors and ideas for celebrating warmer days and a more positive attitude in the air. In this photo you will find a combination of Pepper Pot’s Blue Bird pattern in a photo album (11-5312) and a file folder with bamboo handles (92-5312) for taking to PTA meetings. These are shown with Root candles in a medium Aqua pillar, a tall Sampaquita pillar, Sampaquita tea lights and Oceana in a glass tumbler.
Small businesses can be the most vulnerable when it comes to financial fraud because they give a single individual multiple responsibilities with little or no supervision. This is understandable because of the size of their business, but it opens them up to more risk of fraud. To minimize these risks, consider putting in place the following controls:
• Do not give your online banking information to anyone unless you confirm with your bank that it is on a read only basis. Your bookkeeper should not have access to any sort of online bill payer.
• Never have blank signed checks anywhere. This is a common mistake; many business owners leave signed checks with their bookkeeper or staff for the sake of convenience. But it means that checks to unknown payees and in unknown amounts can easily be made out – and the fraud doesn’t even have to forge your signature!
• Never give signing authority on your bank accounts to a bookkeeper. Your bookkeeper can enter transactions and even print the checks, but YOU should always be the signer.
• Be the first person to open and check your bank and credit card statements each month. Look at the payee, signature and endorsement, and question any entry or checks that you don’t recognize. Bookkeepers often go years without being detected simply because they are the only ones who actually watch what goes through the bank accounts.
• Consider having an outside Accountant/Bookkeeper do a random audit or review of your books at least once a year.
Ultimately, the best thing you can do is divide up tasks so no individual handles a financial transaction from start to end. Two pairs of eyes on your books can provide a critical set of checks and balances. If you don’t have the volume or resources to do this, consider outsourcing your bookkeeping to a reputable firm that has put these safeguards in place. Check out their references and make sure they carry the appropriate errors and omissions insurance to cover you against any fraud that may occur.
Written by Shandra Rose of Evergreen Bookkeeping, a small professional company that helps store owners.