Gift Ideas From W.L. May Company

(Flickr user Tony Alter/CC)

Its the Holiday Season, and Santa Claus has toy for every good girl and good little boy. For the rest of us, its time to go shopping. Did you know that W.L. May can help meet some of your gift needs?

Of course, we know that appliance parts probably won't cut it as gift (unless you include installing the parts). W.L. May does keep on hand some kitchen and home decor items that WOULD make good gift items.

For a few years now, W.L. May has been working with a local artist from Vancouver, WA. Allen Design Studios make these whimsical ceramic clocks that we feature in store. I've lost count of how many people I have seen looking these clocks and have heard numerous conversations suggesting what a great gift idea they are.

Here at W.L. May we have a particular soft spot for the Vintage Mixer  (we know it is really a Kitchenaid mixer) and  Chef Suey clocks. The Wine Time and Steamin' Tea clocks also get a lot of attention.

Another item that makes a great gift for the barbeque-er in your home is a Traeger grill. These pellet grills are a great option for winter grilling and do an excellent job cooking all year around. If you already have a Traeger grill already, you know what we are talking about. In addition to the grills, we stock a wide variety of wood pellets, seasoning rubs and other Traeger accesories.

Do you have a hard working repairman to buy for? A less fun, but still very practical gift would be a new  meter. We stock a wide compliment of meters and testing equipment from UEI.

We would love to help meet some your Holiday shopping needs. What we want even more than that, is for you and your family and friends to have the best Christmas ever! Happy Holidays from W.L. May.

               For more education and entertainment from W.L. May Company click...HERE

Kelly's Korner - "Natural" Easter Eggs

Hey, All,

So many things pop up on the internet under Facebook, Google+ and other social media sites that pique my interest and then I go searching for more information and find out a lot of things I never knew before!

So yesterday this thing popped up about naturally dyed eggs, and with Easter so close I thought I'd share this with you all.  Some ingredients need to be gathered before hand and it may take some time to do so that's why this is a few weeks early.

This is the site that caught my interest:  http://www.goodshomedesign.com/diy-easter-egg-dye/
And I thought - "Ooooh, so pretty!"  Then I started delving into other natural dyes and found other sites that dye eggs using fruits, veggies and other things (does wine count as a fruit?) to make really interesting dyed eggs.  Who knew that if you boiled red cabbage leaves with eggs that they would turn a royal blue colour?  Wow!

Then I found this website:  http://www.livescience.com/44258-easter-eggs-natural-dyes.html





And then this one: http://www.blogher.com/natural-egg-dye-rainbow-options

Please read through all the articles as they have lots of information and some warnings.  But I was thinking this would be a great thing to do with the kids as a science experiment, art project and Easter decorating all in one!  Supervision is definitely a must while using the stove and dyeing.  You might want to experiment yourself before letting the kids loose with this also.

I don't know if you are at all like me but I tend to have both hard boiled and fresh eggs in the fridge and sometime don't remember which are which as they are all still white.  So if you tossed some onion skins or cabbage leaves or whatever catches you fancy with your eggs when you are boiling them, they will be very easy for anyone to tell which are the boiled ones.  And you'll have pretty eggs all year long!

Have a great week!

Kelly's Korner - Scrubbing Power!

Hey, All,

I was sitting here thinking about what I could put in here this week and then did the old head thump.  When customers need something little to add to their order to bring them over their shipping limit or are looking for something for customer gifts or advertising gimmicks, I always recommend this item because it is FAB-U- LOUS!!!!

What the heck am I talking about?  Well, it is a scrubbing sponge (STSPONGE) and it is only $.99!  This scrubbing sponge by Sterling's Products looks like it has metal scrubbies but it is not metal!  It is made out of polyester and polyurethane and comes in silver and gold and is anti-bacterial.  You can use it on your Teflon, stainless steel, glass cooktops, dishes, lawn furniture, wood cabinets, etc., and I use it on my black VW bug to get the sticky bug guts and road grime off and IT DOESN'T SCRATCH!  In fact, these are going home with me tonight.

I have one in my bathroom, a couple in the kitchen and a few for other stuff.  You can toss them in the dishwasher for cleaning and they last quite awhile.  And at $.99 each, you definately won't break the bank.  These also make a nice "gift" to leave in homes after a service call with your business card attached.  Also, if you have a parts counter, having a display at point-of-purchase makes some nice add-on sales.

So stop by and pick several up or have us toss some on your order - you won't be disappointed!

Have a great week!

Kelly's Korner - Giving Time for the Holidays

Ho-ho-ho, All,

Well, I am on vacation this week but wanted to send a last blog before the holidays.  W L May will be closed on December 24, 25 and 31 and January 1, so there won't be any blogs on those days from me.

But I know time is running short for those hard-to-buy-for people so what better gift can you give but time?  The W L May Portland branch has a collection of fun, funky clocks that are made by local artists at Allen Designs Studio in Vancouver, WA (yes, the OTHER Vancouver).  These crazy, quirky, unique and talented people have designed wall clocks, soap dispensers, jewelry, picture frames, etc. for whatever you're (or others) are interested in.  All clocks are $39.95 and I've seen people go out of here with armloads of these.  More are available in the catalog we have at the front counter.

Aren't they adorable!  Come on in and take a look.

I wish you and yours a happy and safe Holiday season.  Please be thankful for all you have - they are lots of people out there not as fortunate so if you don't give a clock donate your time or goods to help make sure someone else's Holidays are happy. 

See ya next year!!!!!

For more from education and entertainment from W.L. May Company click...HERE

Kelly's Korner - Early Holiday Shopping for Your Favorite Tech

Hey, All,

Ok, now that the summer is over, time to think about the holidays.  I know - we are already being bombarded, but now is the time to think about the technician, employees, or that handyman in your life.  W L May has a lot of fun and useful items for gifts and stocking stuffers.

TRTD-1: Tamper-resistant Torx driver - four-in-one of the most popular torx sizes for microwaves and other appliances with tamper-resistant torx screws - T-15, T-20, T-25 and T-30.

SDBD-1:  Bit Slide Driver - thumb nut safety lock - magnetized - 3" handle makes it easy to fit in a pocket.

SD-7 and SD-10:  Slide Driver - comes in 7" and 10" sizes - slides from 1/4" to 5/16" without stopping to change sockets - magnetized.

EMF-1 and EMF-2:  Extendable Magnetic Flashlight (I want one of these!) - 3 super bright LEDS, magnetized on both ends to attach to appliance at one end and pick up screws, nuts and bolts, etc., with the other end - extends from 6.5" to 21" long with flexible neck.  The EMF-2 has a mirror to help find that screw you dropped.  FB-1 is the part number for the replacement batteries.

Call or come in to W L May for pricing and get a jump on your gift list!

Have a great week!