Small Business Saturday helps kick off holiday shopping season

The Herald-Sun | April Dudash

Robot coin banks. North Carolina necklaces. Soap for dogs. Holiday gift hunters packed the Durham Armory Saturday, looking for unique and odd finds to put under the tree.

After people lined up for hours outside big department stores on Black Friday, local businesses and artists in Durham opened their doors and displayed their wares for Small Business Saturday. About 100 vendors from around the region attended the Rock and Shop Market at the Armory on Saturday, officially kicking off their handmade and personalized version of the gift-giving season. For Matt Butler of Raleigh, who creates linocut prints and customized TOMS shoes, the Rock and Shop Market is about introducing his work to the public. People walked past his prints on display, which were adorned with Pabst Blue Ribbon beer bottles and fixed speed bikes. 'More time and care was put into the creation of it,' Butler said of local business offerings. He pointed to a sign, adorned with red strips of bacon that read, 'Either you love bacon or you're wrong,' and said that was a bestseller. Samantha Kramer of Durham said she started selling her prints on Etsy, a website of handmade and vintage goods, about five years ago. On Saturday, she was surrounded by her handmade cards and framed prints, to include hipster reindeer, heartthrob Ryan Gosling in a Santa hat, saying, 'Ho Girl,' and a 'Happy Ugly Sweater Season' Christmas card. 'If you need a toaster, you have to buy something that's mass produced,' Kramer said about Black Friday shopping. 'When you're looking for gift items, you don't have to go that route.' A few blocks away on South Gregson Street, families stepped into Morgan Imports to find a dozen Christmas trees already on display, filled with glittery ornaments and little stuffed animals for sale. Holiday lights lined the warehouse and fake icicles shimmered in the windows. 'Santa Baby' played throughout the store, and toddlers curiously walked around a life-sized stuffed reindeer. Cary resident Sue Perkinson picked up small stuffed Santa figures and examined rows of blown glass ornaments on display. She said she was doing a good portion of her shopping this weekend. 'This is the greatest shop to pick Christmas presents for friends,' Perkinson said, 'and it's so much fun to see all the beautiful, beautiful Christmas ornaments.' Co-owner Jacqueline Morgan said their customers start asking when they'll start decorating for Christmas in September. Little by little, they begin introducing their holiday goods in October, before they turn the entire store in a winter wonderland. The Small Business Saturday participant is no stranger to Durham -- Morgan Imports has been around since 1969 and for 23 years alone in its current warehouse location. 'You do it because it keeps the money here,' Morgan said of shopping local. 'When the independent stores really die, there will be no more originality. ... The merchandise selection is unique and reflects the personality of those involved.' Her friend, Betsy Harrington, was in the shop that day, visiting from Burlington and showing off the musical wind chimes she sells. She says there's a 'buzz' that surrounds small-business holiday shopping. 'It's an experience,' Harrington said. 'This is one of the better stores.' Down the street at Magpie Boutique, owner Po-Ming Wong helped customers looking at beaded necklaces and short cocktail dresses. The boutique has been around for four years, and they even help customers with styling tips. There's a certain level of service that comes with shopping with a small business, Wong said. During the holidays, 'we have a lot of men come in shopping for their significant others,' she said. 'It's really sweet. It's adorable.' She said their short dresses sell well, to include their Brazilian Cecilia Prado line, as well as their jewelry selection. She said other local businesses to try are clothing and accessory store Cozy, Jack Mens Provisions, Vert & Vogue boutique and Smitten boutique. It's not about the competition here, Wong said. 'It's just a sense of community, that having the brick-and-mortar store is so old-school and we think it's so important,' she said. 'We all support each other.'

VIDEO: Fashion Show 'ANDREA DE LA ROCHE' Spring Summer 2014 Madrid

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About

Andrea Muiños began her academic training in textile and fashion design in Esdemga. Right after finishing her studies, she moves to New York where she takes an intensive course on Illustration in Parsons New School for Design, as well as specific training as a Professional Shopper and Graphic Design in the Fashion Institute of Technology.

This academic experience abroad provided her with a broader and deeper insight which is of great use when she eventually undertakes her Degree Final Project, work showcased at Debut runway show. She has had the opportunity to do an intership in the Catalonian fashion firm Selvatgi, being that her first work experience. She has been involved as a designer in the department for fashion line U of Adolfo Domínguez, working on the design of S/S 2013 and F/W 2014 collections. At the moment, she has recently presented her own first collection: Transformacja which was presented in Samsung Ego Mercedes Benz Fashion Week Madrid S/S 2014.

ANDREA DE LA ROCHE, Samsung Ego Mercedes Benz Fashion Week Madrid

25 Days of Christmas: 'Harry Potter' marathon marks last countdown day

It's the last day of the countdown to the countdown -- the last day before 25 Days of Christmas officially starts on ABC Family on Sunday, Dec. 1. The last day of the countdown to 25 Days features a special treat in the form of a 'Harry Potter' movie marathon that culminates in the network television premiere of 'Harry Potter and The Deathly Hallows, Part 2.'So tune in for 'Order of the Phoenix, 'Half-Blood Prince' and 'Deathly Hallows Part 1,' before 'Deathly Hallows Part 2' kicks off at 8 p.m. ET/PT on ABC Family. Then Sunday, 25 Days of Christmas starts off with a bang -- an all-day holiday movie marathon. Schedule below:(7:00-8:30 AM ET/PT) MICKEY'S ONCE UPON A CHRISTMASKelsey Grammer narrates three charming Christmas tales with a Mickey Mouse twist, including the Christmas classic The Gift of the Magi, starring Mickey and Minnie Mouse. (Animated)(8:30-10:00 AM ET/PT) MICKEY'S TWICE UPON A CHRISTMAS Mickey and friends return to tell five more tales of holiday spirit and Christmas cheer. (Animated)(10:00 AM-12:00 PM ET/PT) SANTA BUDDIESTake a fantastic journey with your beloved Buddies to the magical world of the North Pole! Join Budderball, B-Dawg, Rosebud, Buddha, and Mudbud in a touching twist on a Christmas classic. When Puppy Paws, the feisty son of Santa Paws, forgets the true meaning of the season, it's up to the Buddies to remind him that Christmas is not about what you get; it's about what you give. (Live Action)(12:00-3:00 PM ET/PT) THE FAMILY MANWorkaholic Jack Campbell (Nicolas Cage) was happy to spend the holidays alone. But after a chance meeting with a mysterious stranger, Jack wakes up on Christmas Day with the family he never realized he always wanted. (Live Action)(3:00-5:00 PM ET/PT) DISNEY'S A CHRISTMAS CAROL The classic tale of a miserly old man named Ebenezer Scrooge (Jim Carrey), who is visited on Christmas Eve by three ghosts who attempt to help him change his life and embrace the holidays. (Animated)(5:00-7:00 PM ET/PT) THE POLAR EXPRESS The Academy Award®-winning team of Tom Hanks and director Robert Zemeckis reunite for the inspiring tale of a young boy and the magical train he boards to the North Pole. Based on the beloved Caldecott Medal children's book by Chris Van Allsburg. (Animated) (7:00-9:30 PM ET/PT) DR. SEUSS' HOW THE GRINCH STOLE CHRISTMASJim Carrey stars as the title character who tries to ruin Christmas for all the Whos of Whoville in this live-action adaptation of the classic Dr. Seuss children's story. (Live Action)

Photo/Video credit: Warner Bros.

Single women: Is buying a home right for you?

Katie Abbott of Portland, Ore., is part of a new trend of single women purchasing homes. Her 1906 craftsman features a wrap-around porch complete with swing. (Photo: Thomas Patterson)

USA TODAY - Forget being homemakers-single women are now homebuyers.

Solo females began to outpace lone males in purchasing homes in the early 1990s. By 1999, single women represented about one in five total sales, buying homes at twice the level of single men, a proportion that has held roughly steady since, according to National Association of Realtors data.

'A lot of people, myself included, take pride in owning a home,' says Portland, Ore., lawyer Katie Abbott, 36. She bought a two-bedroom, 1,100-square-foot Craftsman this summer. 'There's no reason that it (homebuying) should be limited to only if you're married,' she says.

Before you jump on this trend, take a few important steps to ensure the time is right for you. Buying a house is the biggest financial commitment most of us will make in a lifetime. A wrong move could haunt you for decades, but the right decision will make you a proud homeowner.

GET FINANCIALLY FIT

Save a big down payment. Many financial advisers recommend putting down at least 20 percent of the purchase price to make sure you can sell the house in the future, even if prices fall. 'The less you put down, the greater the probability of being underwater (owing more than the value of the house) at some point,' says Eleanor Blayney, a consumer advocate for the Certified Financial Planner Board of Standards.

Take care of yourself. Before you acquire a major real estate asset, make sure you are contributing enough to a retirement fund, have six months of living expenses saved for emergencies and have purchased disability insurance-a must for single women, according to award-winning author and money manager Julie Jason, based in Stamford, Conn. 'It's not a simple decision of, 'I like this house; let's go buy it!' The worst thing you can do is put all your money into a house and not put any money into retirement,' Jason says. 'You're deploying assets to make this purchase that you could be using for another purpose.'

Educate yourself. Shop around to find financial professionals you trust, including a real-estate agent and lender who are willing to answer all your questions and educate you about the transaction. Read all your mortgage documentation. Bone up on real estate basics, home repair, siding and roofs, garden care and home heating systems, even if you have to resort to books with the words 'dummies' or 'idiots' in the title.

MAKE SURE THE TIME IS RIGHT

Plan to stay in the home you buy for five or seven years. When you take out a mortgage, you pay closing fees, moving costs and other 'friction' costs that can never be recovered. Make sure that the general area and the specific house will suit your needs long enough to make it worthwhile.

Consider what would change if you met a long-term partner. How long you would stay in a house depends in part on whether you remain single. Evaluate whether the property could accommodate two residents, or more if you might add children. Before Abbott bought her home, she had a structural engineer make sure she could build into the unfinished attic, which you currently enter through a ladder on the wraparound porch. 'It's a home that I could grow and expand into,' Abbott says.

Be sure your job and the local economy are stable. We all heard the horror stories of layoffs followed by foreclosures in the Great Recession. Be wary of buying a home if either your employer or the community is on shaky ground.

CALCULATE THE COSTS OF BUYING

Compare owning to renting. You can't necessarily afford a mortgage payment that's the same as your rent bill. There's homeowners' insurance and taxes to consider, and additional utilities and maintenance costs. Ask the existing homeowner what she pays for gas, electric, water, sewer, garbage removal and lawn maintenance. Remember extras like condo or neighborhood association fees. Build it into your budget. Ask colleagues and friends to recommend vendors who can help you keep the house in shape.

Consider moving costs. At a minimum, you'll spend time away from work and shell out for packing supplies. Then you'll need money to fix up and furnish your new home. Abbott set aside $20,000 for moving, painting, and furnishing her new guest bedroom and dining room.

Keep in mind you'll be in charge of long-term repairs. During your home inspection, ask the inspector to explain everything that will need to be replaced or repaired, and make sure you know the age of each major system in the house. That will form the basis of your to-do list for the coming decade. 'The biggest mistake people make when they buy a home is not to consider the non-routine expenses,' says Jason. 'You're probably doing one major project a year.'WAYS

TO START SAVING TODAY

It's a big task to save up 20 percent of the purchase price of a home. Consider these ways to make it easier. Set up an automatic, recurring transfer from your checking account to a savings account. If you never see the money, you won't spend it. Limit eating out and clothes shopping. Switch from pay services to free ones, and save the difference.

For instance, ditch the gym membership for running and biking trails. Cancel cable and instead watch free television online or borrow from the library. Sell old clothes, books, music and belongings that you no longer use. Have a rummage sale or sell them online. As a bonus, you'll have less stuff to pack and move. Negotiate better rates for services such as insurance, banking and your phone bill. You never know what you can get unless you ask!

Take a second job or start a side-business. If you tutor kids in the evenings or walk dogs, all that money can go into your house fund. Live with your relatives-just for a while. Make sure it's limited, and invite them to your housewarming party when you move.

(Copyright © 2013 USA TODAY)

Single women: Is buying a home right for you?

Female homeownership has outpaced that of unmarried men

Forget being homemakers-single women are now home buyers.

Solo females began to outpace lone males in purchasing homes in the early 1990s. By 1999, single women represented about one in five total sales, buying homes at twice the level of single men, a proportion that has held roughly steady since, according to National Association of Realtors data.

'A lot of people, myself included, take pride in owning a home,' says Portland, Ore., lawyer Katie Abbott, 36. She bought a two-bedroom, 1,100-square-foot Craftsman this summer. 'There's no reason that it (homebuying) should be limited to only if you're married,' she says.

Before you jump on this trend, take a few important steps to ensure the time is right for you. Buying a house is the biggest financial commitment most of us will make in a lifetime. A wrong move could haunt you for decades, but the right decision will make you a proud homeowner.

GET FINANCIALLY FIT

Save a big down payment. Many financial advisers recommend putting down at least 20 percent of the purchase price to make sure you can sell the house in the future, even if prices fall. 'The less you put down, the greater the probability of being underwater (owing more than the value of the house) at some point,' says Eleanor Blayney, a consumer advocate for the Certified Financial Planner Board of Standards.

Take care of yourself. Before you acquire a major real estate asset, make sure you are contributing enough to a retirement fund, have six months of living expenses saved for emergencies and have purchased disability insurance-a must for single women, according to award-winning author and money manager Julie Jason, based in Stamford, Conn. 'It's not a simple decision of, 'I like this house; let's go buy it!' The worst thing you can do is put all your money into a house and not put any money into retirement,' Jason says. 'You're deploying assets to make this purchase that you could be using for another purpose.'

Educate yourself. Shop around to find financial professionals you trust, including a real-estate agent and lender who are willing to answer all your questions and educate you about the transaction. Read all your mortgage documentation. Bone up on real estate basics, home repair, siding and roofs, garden care and home heating systems, even if you have to resort to books with the words 'dummies' or 'idiots' in the title.

MAKE SURE THE TIME IS RIGHT

Plan to stay in the home you buy for five or seven years. When you take out a mortgage, you pay closing fees, moving costs and other 'friction' costs that can never be recovered. Make sure that the general area and the specific house will suit your needs long enough to make it worthwhile.

Consider what would change if you met a long-term partner. How long you would stay in a house depends in part on whether you remain single. Evaluate whether the property could accommodate two residents, or more if you might add children. Before Abbott bought her home, she had a structural engineer make sure she could build into the unfinished attic, which you currently enter through a ladder on the wraparound porch. 'It's a home that I could grow and expand into,' Abbott says.

Be sure your job and the local economy are stable. We all heard the horror stories of layoffs followed by foreclosures in the Great Recession. Be wary of buying a home if either your employer or the community is on shaky ground.

CALCULATE THE COSTS OF BUYING

Compare owning to renting. You can't necessarily afford a mortgage payment that's the same as your rent bill. There's homeowners' insurance and taxes to consider, and additional utilities and maintenance costs. Ask the existing homeowner what she pays for gas, electric, water, sewer, garbage removal and lawn maintenance. Remember extras like condo or neighborhood association fees. Build it into your budget. Ask colleagues and friends to recommend vendors who can help you keep the house in shape.

Consider moving costs. At a minimum, you'll spend time away from work and shell out for packing supplies. Then you'll need money to fix up and furnish your new home. Abbott set aside $20,000 for moving, painting, and furnishing her new guest bedroom and dining room.

Keep in mind you'll be in charge of long-term repairs. During your home inspection, ask the inspector to explain everything that will need to be replaced or repaired, and make sure you know the age of each major system in the house. That will form the basis of your to-do list for the coming decade. 'The biggest mistake people make when they buy a home is not to consider the non-routine expenses,' says Jason. 'You're probably doing one major project a year.'

USA TODAY Modern Woman magazine contains articles about lifestyle, health, relationships, money, home, travel and more. Find it on magazines newsstands or at modernwoman.usatoday.com.(Photo: Cover photo by Robert Erdmann/August)

WAYS TO START SAVING TODAY

It's a big task to save up 20 percent of the purchase price of a home. Consider these ways to make it easier.

Set up an automatic, recurring transfer from your checking account to a savings account. If you never see the money, you won't spend it. Limit eating out and clothes shopping. Switch from pay services to free ones, and save the difference. For instance, ditch the gym membership for running and biking trails. Cancel cable and instead watch free television online or borrow from the library. Sell old clothes, books, music and belongings that you no longer use. Have a rummage sale or sell them online. As a bonus, you'll have less stuff to pack and move. Negotiate better rates for services such as insurance, banking and your phone bill. You never know what you can get unless you ask! Take a second job or start a side-business. If you tutor kids in the evenings or walk dogs, all that money can go into your house fund. Live with your relatives-just for a while. Make sure it's limited, and invite them to your housewarming party when you move. This article is excerpted from USA TODAY Modern Woman magazine, which contains articles about lifestyle, health, relationships, money, home, travel and more. Find it on magazines newsstands or at modernwoman.usatoday.com.

VIDEO: 'CPM SLAVA ZAITSEV' Spring Summer 2014 Moscow

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About Slava Zaitsev:

Moscow Fashion House founded in 1982 by the outstanding Russian designer Vyacheslav Zaitsev. Enterprise European level became active defender of fashion stereotypes.

By the time he made the impossible. Lifelong dream come true: fashion has become an independent and autonomous art form.

Vyacheslav Zaitsev and a recognized leader in the Russian fashion world, and his fashion house has become a true center of education of good taste, where a face of the modern man.

Based on the Fashion House Fashion Theatre is a form of propaganda convincing spectacular beauty. Zaitsev first in our country began a theatrical display of collections - demonstration models with the plot, developing as a drama or a parody. This kind of synthetic genre, combining drama, directing, acting, music.

From allegories Theatre talked about his understanding of life, beauty and harmony, rising above the everyday viewer and bustle, drawing him into the holiday spirit. Through his Theatre Russian fashion reached the world level, taking its rightful place on a par with such recognized trendsetters such as France and Italy.

SLAVA ZAITSEV, Moscow Fashion Week

VIDEO: Fashion Show 'ROBERTO VERINO' Spring Summer 2014 Madrid HD by ...

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About Robert Verino:

Born in Verín, a town in the Spanish province of Ourense, Roberto Verino has been involved in the fashion world from a very early age, as his family owned a leather business. He studied Fine Arts in Paris, and on his return to Spain took over the family business, where he began to design his first creations. In 1982 he designed his first ready to wear collection under the name of Roberto Verino. The following year he opened his first store in Paris, in the heart of the Saint Germain district, and took part in the Paris Womenswear Show, the Milan Fashion Show and the International Linen Fair in Montecarlo.

From 1984 he took part in Madrid's Cibeles Fashion Show, where he has consolidated his career thanks in particular to the quality of the fabrics he works with. In 1988 he launched his product line aimed at the younger segment of the market Erre uve dos. He continued with his international expansion policy, taking part in fashion events held in Germany and Japan. In 1992 he opened his first store in Madrid, and from then on began to introduce a range of new product lines: accessories, fragrances and swimwear. In 1998 he co-founded the Association of Spanish Fashion Designers with Jesús del Pozo, Antonio Pernas, Angel Schlesser and Modesto Lomba , presenting his collections independently at the Casa del Reloj Cultural Centre and a mansion situated at 18, Eduardo Dato Street.

In 1999, together with Jesús del Pozo and Antonio Pernas, he travelled with the President of the Spanish Government on a trade mission to promote the quality and design of Spanish fashion and footwear on the Russian market.

2002 marked his return to the Cibeles Fashion Show where he presented his Autumn-Winter 2002-03 collection. Today the firm has a total of 56 stores and 47 Roberto Verino boutiques in El Corte Inglés department stores.

Roberto Verino, Meredes-Benz Madrid Fashion Week

Obama: Sasha has 'big say' where family will live after presidency

First lady Michelle Obama with her daughters Malia, center, and Sasha.

Updated:

WASHINGTON - Sasha Obama could be the deciding factor in whether her father stays in Washington after he leaves office.

President Barack Obama told ABC News in a taped interview that his now 12-year-old daughter 'will have a big say in where we are.'

When Obama leaves office in January 2017 after two terms, eldest daughter Malia could be off in college and Sasha will be a sophomore in high school. Both girls attend the exclusive Sidwell Friends School in northwest Washington.

Obama said he and his wife, Michelle, have to make sure Sasha is doing well until she goes off to college.

He suggested that no decisions have been made. But he did hint that tearing Sasha away from her friends might be asking too much, saying his wife and daughters already have made 'a lot of sacrifices on behalf of my cockamamie ideas, the running for office and things.'

In another portion of the interview, which is scheduled to air Friday night on ABC's '20/20,' Michelle Obama says she tries not to tell her husband what to do because 'he's got enough people in his ear.'

'I try to stay out of his ear,' she said.

Michelle Obama says she and the president treat their living quarters on the second floor of the White House like a sanctuary, particularly when their girls are home. She says the girls like to talk about their day, which often has little to do with what's going on in the rest of the world.

'Everyone has to have their safe haven, a place of peace and calm and, you know, that's home for us,' the first lady said.

AP

Holiday TV schedule: Air dates for new and old favorites

Posted: 11/27/2013 12:00:00 PM PST

Updated: 11/27/2013 02:54:10 PM PST

Brace yourself for the annual holiday TV blizzard.

As usual, programmers are making merry with an onslaught of season offerings. The snowball gets rolling on Friday with several animated favorites, including a visit from Mr. Grinch. And from there on through Christmas, expect your TV set to be overrun by familiar faces -- Charlie Brown, Frosty and Rudolph -- as well as plenty of new movies and variety specials.

Some of the notables:

Music, comedy and good cheer

'CMA Country Christmas' -- Jennifer Nettles, Trace Adkins, Sheryl Crow, Rascal Flatts and others help ring in the holidays. (9 p.m. Dec. 2, ABC)

'Christmas in Rockefeller Center' -- Mary J. Blige, Mariah Carey, Kelly Clarkson, the Goo Goo Dolls and others light up the big tree in the Big Apple. (8 p.m. Dec. 4, NBC)

'SNL Christmas Special' -- A compilation of fan-favorite holiday sketches from 'Saturday Night Live.' (9 p.m. Dec. 4, NBC)

'The Sound of Music Live!' -- Carrie Underwood and Stephen Moyer get their von Trapp on in a live reboot of the classic musical. (8 p.m. Dec. 5, NBC)

'Kelly Clarkson's Cautionary Christmas Music Tale' -- The pop star's first holiday special features tunes off her new Christmas album. (10 p.m. Dec. 11, NBC).

'A Home for the Holidays With Celine Dion' -- The singer hosts a celebration of adoption and foster care. (8 p.m. Dec. 18, CBS)

'Michael Bublé's 3rd Annual Christmas Special' -- The crooner and his guests belt out holiday favorites. (10 p.m. Dec. 18, NBC)

'Christmas in Washington' -- Demi Lovato, Diana Ross and Scotty McCreery are among the performers in this annual benefit concert attended by the president and first lady. (8 p.m. Dec. 20, TNT)

'I Love Lucy Christmas Special' -- Two newly colorized episodes, including the seldom-seen 'Christmas Episode' and 'Lucy's Italian Movie,' are scheduled to air. (8 p.m. Dec. 20, CBS)

Holiday movie comfort food

'Dear Secret Santa' -- Tatyana Ali stars as a woman whose life changes after she receives a Christmas card from a secret admirer. (8 p.m. Nov. 30, Lifetime)

'Let It Snow' -- Alan Thicke and Candace Cameron Bure play Scrooge-like corporate executives who take over a ski lodge. (8 p.m. Nov. 30, Hallmark)

'The Christmas Spirit' -- A journalist (Nicollette Sheridan) falls into a coma after a car accident, but her spirit lives on. (8 p.m. Dec. 1, Hallmark)

'Hallmark Hall of Fame's Christmas in Conway' -- A husband (Andy Garcia) plans a romantic holiday staycation for his wife (Mary-Louise Parker). (9 p.m. Dec. 1, ABC)

'Christmas in the City' -- A department store consultant (Ashanti) causes a stir when she replaces Santa with a hunky male underwear model. (8 p.m. Dec. 7, Lifetime)

'Holidaze' -- A corporate workaholic (Jennie Garth) reconnects with her childhood sweetheart (Cameron Mathison). (8 p.m. Dec. 8, ABC Family)

'Christmas on the Bayou' -- 'One Tree Hill' stars Hilarie Burton and Tyler Hilton reunite in this holiday romance. (8 p.m. Dec. 14, Lifetime)

'Hats Off to Christmas!' -- Haylie Duff plays a small-town widowed mom who falls for a business tycoon. (8 p.m. Dec. 14, Hallmark)

A rundown of returning specials and movies, including the usual chestnuts:

Nov. 29

'Dr. Seuss' How the Grinch Stole Christmas' (8 p.m., ABC)

'Hoops & Yoyo Ruin Christmas' (8 p.m., CBS)

'Grandma Got Run Over by a Reindeer' (8 p.m., The CW)

'Shrek the Halls' (8:30 p.m., ABC)

'The Elf on the Shelf: An Elf's Story' (8:30 p.m., CBS)

Nov. 30

'The Flight Before Christmas' (8 p.m., CBS)

'The Story of Santa Claus' (9 p.m., CBS)

Dec. 2

'A Charlie Brown Christmas' (8 p.m., ABC)

'The Santa Clause' (8 p.m., ABC Family)

Dec. 3

'Scrooged' (8 p.m., ABC Family)

Dec. 4

'National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation' (10 p.m., ABC Family)

Dec. 5

'The Polar Express' (7 p.m., ABC Family)

Dec. 6

'Frosty the Snowman' (8 p.m., CBS)

'Yes, Virginia' (8:30 p.m., CBS)

Dec. 7

'The Story of Santa Claus' (9 p.m., CBS)

Dec. 10

'The Year Without a Santa Claus' (9 p.m., ABC Family)

'Santa Claus Is Comin' to Town' (10 p.m., ABC Family)

Dec. 13

'White Christmas' (7 p.m., AMC)

Dec. 14

'Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer' (8 p.m., CBS)

'It's A Wonderful Life' (8 p.m., NBC; Re-airs 8 p.m. Dec. 24).

'Frosty Returns' (9:30 p.m., CBS)

Dec. 16

'Ice Age: A Mammoth Christmas' (9 p.m., Fox)

'DreamWorks Dragons: Gift of the Night Fury' (9:30 p.m., Fox)

Dec. 18

'Mickey's Christmas Carol' (7:30 p.m., ABC Family)

Dec. 24

'A Christmas Story' (24-hour marathon, 8 p.m., TBS)

(Note: Some of the vintage holiday programs will have multiple airings. For specific times and days, consult your listings.)

Follow Chuck Barney at Twitter.com/chuckbarney and Facebook.com/bayareanewsgroup.chuckbarney.

Montreal Fashion Week cancels winter edition

MONTREAL - The upcoming edition of Montreal Fashion Week has been cancelled.

On Thursday, organizers announced plans to 'temporarily put a hold' on the semi-annual event, originally scheduled for February.

They will instead be investing resources towards merging Montreal Fashion Week with the city's annual summer Fashion and Design Festival. Plans to combine the two events - both organized by Montreal-based Groupe Sensation Mode - were announced in September.

At that time, organizers still seemed intent on staging the winter edition of Fashion Week.

'We thought that it was very important to make (the summer event) happen well,' Groupe Sensation co-founder Chantal Durivage said Thursday in an interview.

'Three productions a year with big events, it's a lot of time. We're always running. And if we want to develop, we need time. And this is what we realized.'

Groupe Sensation Mode has a new board of directors and a retooled business plan as they seek to help boost the profile of local designers, while also connecting with fashion fans through new channels.

To promote the summer event, Durivage said they're planning to build a web platform to facilitate 'a conversation about fashion and design,' which will also allow the public to share content and opinions.

'Ultimately, people will be able to buy,' said Durivage. 'It will be a redirection to the different sites of the designers or retailers that we're going to present.

She added: 'Everybody's going to be in the same conversation at the same time and in the same place - even around the world. Because with the web platform we're going to show them what's happening. The new festival will be a live community experience.'

Held each August in downtown Montreal, the Fashion and Design Festival includes fashion shows, live art installations and musical performances.

The most recent edition of the festival held last August featured famed French designer and artist Jean-Charles de Castelbajac as honorary chair.

The Fashion and Design Festival has previously been staged in Toronto and Durivage said they have always seen the event as an 'exportable product.'

'It's a market we think will be interesting to develop.'

The newly merged Fashion and Design Festival and Montreal Fashion Week event is scheduled to take place from Aug. 20-23. Programming for the showcase will be announced in March.

Staged twice a year, Montreal Fashion Week has offered a platform for local designers to showcase their collections to buyers, media and members of the public who were able to attend in person or access the shows through online streaming.

The semi-annual event celebrated its 25th edition in September. Its absence on the upcoming Fashion Week calendar will leave a noticeable gap among Canada's homegrown style showcases.

Foreign gangs, rabies and appalling cruelty. The sickening truth about those ...

Vile multi-million pound trade is preying on the British love of dogs 'Designer puppies' farmed in appalling conditions by East European gangs Many have health problems as a result of being bred in cramped conditions More lenient EU laws were brought in last year on the movement of pets Rabies risk as gangs are cutting corners on vaccines

By Steve Bird

PUBLISHED: 17:57 EST, 28 November 2013 | UPDATED: 20:06 EST, 28 November 2013

Naively, Lisa had thought she was buying from an experienced breeder. In fact, the animal had been reared on a puppy farm, where profit is far more important than the welfare of the dogs.

A Government e-petition calling for restrictions on the sale of puppies has received more than 100,000 signatures - the tipping point to trigger a Parliamentary debate - and MPs are expected in 2014 to address the issue of the increasing number of puppy farms in the UK.

Nor is it just within our own borders that these unscrupulous people operate.

'I was very naïve when buying Toby,' the 34-year-old mother-of-three from High Wycombe, Bucks, admits.

'I am speaking about this now to try to ensure others don't make the same mistakes, and to help bring an end to the cruel world of puppy farming.'

'When I picked Toby up, there was sawdust matted into his coat, but there was no sawdust in the room. The woman explained this by saying there was sawdust out in the yard.

'Christian spent the first evening with his head on Toby's bed just looking at the dog,' she recalls. 'He was over the moon.'

'I was really worried,' she says. 'He hadn't eaten anything since arriving at our home. His nose was running and his eyes were weeping. It was incredibly upsetting to see a puppy in such distress.'

'I was totally floored,' says Lisa. 'We'd all fallen in love with Toby. It is very distressing that something so small and vulnerable had suffered so terribly. Christian was distraught.'

'Toby was obviously bred in a puppy farm,' she says. 'I now know it's best to buy from a Kennel Club-registered or assured breeder, or from a rescue centre.

Remarkably, it is the ferry, train or plane operator who is responsible for checking the pet passport. Add to that the fact that under EU rules there is no longer a need for a blood test certificate to prove that any vaccines given have actually worked, and you have what many now believe is a recipe for disaster.

'In reality, some importers are simply delivering these pets to those who want to sell the puppies on,' he says.

'Others are providing false dates of births in pet passports to suggest the puppy was vaccinated at the correct age. This creates a risk of rabies entering the UK.

'Previously, a dog would have to wait a minimum of six months after its rabies vaccination before entry to the UK.

'Now, only a 21-day wait after vaccination is required, which means the dogs are much younger and so command a higher value.'

The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs' own statistics show that before the UK adopted EU laws only 127 animals, mainly dogs, were seized and put into quarantine, compared to 417 in 2012 after EU rules were introduced.

Breeders in the UK have to be licensed by the local council, and are inspected to ensure they meet legal requirements concerning animal welfare.

While some breeders are responsible, others have been found to be producing dogs in huge numbers and with scant regard for the animals' welfare. (A bitch which is pushed to produce as many puppies as possible will usually have two litters a year of up to ten pups each.)

Undercover investigations by journalists and animal rights activists have revealed woefully poor standards of animal welfare at some licensed Welsh sites.

Most licensed breeders sell puppies on to pet shops - a trade which is itself condemned by animal welfare campaigners - or privately.

Dealers know that a picture of young puppy in an advert has that all-important 'cute factor' and thus is more likely to be sold. Like their Eastern European counterparts, these 'sellers' want the puppies as young - and as cute - as possible.

'The puppy farm pups get taken away from their mothers at just four or five weeks, and are not socialised properly, leading to behavioural problems.

At least she can be confident that they were raised with care. Like her, though, thousands of other families may have to learn the hard way that buying a puppy in Britain today can have heartbreaking consequences.

Highland Park resident spurs ban on kennel breeding

By KAREN BERKOWITZ kberkowitz@pioneerlocal.com | @KarenABerkowitz

Dawn LoCascio, shown with her boxer Macie Beans, persuaded the City of Highland Park to tighten its rules on breeding to prevent puppy mill operations.| Submitted photo

At the urging of a local activist, Highland Park has tightened some zoning language to prevent kennels from breeding animals for sale.

Dawn LoCascio, a local liaison to The Puppy Mill Project, initially asked to city in February to ban the sale of dogs and cats within city limits to prevent 'puppy mill' enterprises that breed animals for sale. The Puppy Mill Project is a nonprofit organization that raises awareness to animal cruelty and neglect in mills that breed solely for profit.

A city review of its zoning ordinance revealed the city had authority to place conditions on the operation of pet stores but did not have the same authority over kennels. The city's zoning code defined a kennel as a place where more than four dogs, four cats or other domestic animals are boarded or kept for sale.

Late last month, the city council voted to delete the words 'for sale' from the definition of a kennel.

Andrea West, city planner, said the change does not prevent 'at-home breeders' or pet stores from keeping less than four dogs, cats, or other domestic animals for sale, but prohibits kennels from doing so.

'I was not going to give up,' said LoCascio, who first learned about puppy mills when she adopted her boxer, Macie Beans, from Boxer Rebound, a rescue organization.

'I followed up for months providing ordinance language from other cities across the county that have successfully prohibited the sale of companion animals,' LoCascio said. 'Reputable breeders don't sell their dogs to pet stores, so where do people think the pet stores get their dogs? The answer is puppy mills.'

Prairieland Anti Cruelty in Champaign had received Macie Beans after she'd been used as a female breeding animal for five years. The organization turned her over to Boxer Rebound.

LoCascio believes she was used to produce 60 to 80 puppies.

Montreal Fashion Week cancels winter edition; event merges with summer festival

MONTREAL - The upcoming edition of Montreal Fashion Week has been cancelled.

On Thursday, organizers announced plans to 'temporarily put a hold' on the semi-annual event, originally scheduled for February.

They will instead be investing resources towards merging Montreal Fashion Week with the city's annual summer Fashion and Design Festival. Plans to combine the two events - both organized by Montreal-based Groupe Sensation Mode - were announced in September.

At that time, organizers still seemed intent on staging the winter edition of Fashion Week.

'We thought that it was very important to make (the summer event) happen well,' Groupe Sensation co-founder Chantal Durivage said Thursday in an interview.

'Three productions a year with big events, it's a lot of time. We're always running. And if we want to develop, we need time. And this is what we realized.'

Groupe Sensation Mode has a new board of directors and a retooled business plan as they seek to help boost the profile of local designers, while also connecting with fashion fans through new channels.

To promote the summer event, Durivage said they're planning to build a web platform to facilitate 'a conversation about fashion and design,' which will also allow the public to share content and opinions.

'Ultimately, people will be able to buy,' said Durivage. 'It will be a redirection to the different sites of the designers or retailers that we're going to present.

She added: 'Everybody's going to be in the same conversation at the same time and in the same place - even around the world. Because with the web platform we're going to show them what's happening. The new festival will be a live community experience.'

Held each August in downtown Montreal, the Fashion and Design Festival includes fashion shows, live art installations and musical performances.

The most recent edition of the festival held last August featured famed French designer and artist Jean-Charles de Castelbajac as honorary chair.

The Fashion and Design Festival has previously been staged in Toronto and Durivage said they have always seen the event as an 'exportable product.'

'It's a market we think will be interesting to develop.'

The newly merged Fashion and Design Festival and Montreal Fashion Week event is scheduled to take place from Aug. 20-23. Programming for the showcase will be announced in March.

Staged twice a year, Montreal Fashion Week has offered a platform for local designers to showcase their collections to buyers, media and members of the public who were able to attend in person or access the shows through online streaming.

The semi-annual event celebrated its 25th edition in September. Its absence on the upcoming Fashion Week calendar will leave a noticeable gap among Canada's homegrown style showcases.

PLUS Model Magazine: POSH LA Fashion Week Trend Lookbook In Association ...

PLUS Model Magazine: POSH LA Fashion Week Trend Lookbook In Association With Reah Norman and PMM

This month's issue of PLUS Model Magazine has a special trend lookbook from POSH LA Fashion Week, which took place last month in LA on October 20, 2013. The lookbook features models Kori Spencer and Mariesther Venegas wearing clothing and accessories from Doncaster, ASOS Curve, City Chic, Zelie for She, Sonsi, Simply Be, Jibri, H&M and more! It's 14 pages of 5 different trends in fashion that should not be missed.

All images were shot by Inez Lewis, styling by Reah Norman, makeup by Aida Danielle and hair by Traci Mackey. Produced by Green-Jones Productions.

To check out the POSH LA Fashion Week Trend Lookbook in our November 2013 issue, click here. The editorial is on pages 63 - 76.

Please also make sure to check out the entire November 2013 issue, which is our We Love Lux Issue. There's 200+ pages of so many wonderful articles, interviews and editorials that are all about luxury fashion and individual style at any budget.

To check out the entire issue, click here.

by Marcy Cruz, Blog Editor

Montreal Fashion Week cancels winter edition; event merges with summer festival

MONTREAL - The upcoming edition of Montreal Fashion Week has been cancelled.

Organizers of the semi-annual event announced in a statement issued on Thursday that they will 'temporarily put a hold' on the next instalment of the event, originally scheduled for February.

Instead, they will be investing resources towards the merger of Montreal Fashion Week with the city's annual summer Fashion and Design Festival. Plans to combine the two events - both organized by Montreal-based company Sensation Mode - were announced in September.

'The decision to not go ahead with the production of February's MFW was difficult to make, but we know we need to dedicate our efforts to completing this massive rallying project,' said Jean-Francois Daviau of Sensation Mode.

'This break will allow us to join forces and make this large-scale event successful and more appealing to the general public, industry professionals and our partners.'

Held each August in downtown Montreal, the Fashion and Design Festival includes fashion shows, live art installations and musical performances.

The most recent edition of the festival held last August featured famed French designer and artist Jean-Charles de Castelbajac as honorary chair.

The newly merged Fashion and Design Festival and Montreal Fashion Week event is scheduled to take place from Aug. 20-23. Programming for the showcase will be announced in March.

Staged twice a year, Montreal Fashion Week has offered a platform for local designers to showcase their collections to buyers, media and members of the public who were able to attend in person or access the shows through online streaming.

The semi-annual event celebrated its 25th edition in September. Its absence on the upcoming Fashion Week calendar will leave a noticeable gap among Canada's homegrown style showcases.

Montreal Fashion Week cancels winter edition; event merges with summer festival

MONTREAL - The upcoming edition of Montreal Fashion Week has been cancelled.

Organizers of the semi-annual event announced in a statement issued on Thursday that they will 'temporarily put a hold' on the next instalment of the event, originally scheduled for February.

Instead, they will be investing resources towards the merger of Montreal Fashion Week with the city's annual summer Fashion and Design Festival. Plans to combine the two events - both organized by Montreal-based company Sensation Mode - were announced in September.

'The decision to not go ahead with the production of February's MFW was difficult to make, but we know we need to dedicate our efforts to completing this massive rallying project,' said Jean-Francois Daviau of Sensation Mode.

'This break will allow us to join forces and make this large-scale event successful and more appealing to the general public, industry professionals and our partners.'

Held each August in downtown Montreal, the Fashion and Design Festival includes fashion shows, live art installations and musical performances.

The most recent edition of the festival held last August featured famed French designer and artist Jean-Charles de Castelbajac as honorary chair.

The newly merged Fashion and Design Festival and Montreal Fashion Week event is scheduled to take place from Aug. 20-23. Programming for the showcase will be announced in March.

Staged twice a year, Montreal Fashion Week has offered a platform for local designers to showcase their collections to buyers, media and members of the public who were able to attend in person or access the shows through online streaming.

The semi-annual event celebrated its 25th edition in September. Its absence on the upcoming Fashion Week calendar will leave a noticeable gap among Canada's homegrown style showcases.

Montreal Fashion Week is no more

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Montreal Fashion Week cancels winter edition

;

MONTREAL - The upcoming edition of Montreal Fashion Week has been cancelled.

Organizers of the semi-annual event announced in a statement issued on Thursday that they will 'temporarily put a hold' on the next instalment of the event, originally scheduled for February.

Instead, they will be investing resources towards the merger of Montreal Fashion Week with the city's annual summer Fashion and Design Festival. Plans to combine the two events - both organized by Montreal-based company Sensation Mode - were announced in September.

'The decision to not go ahead with the production of February's MFW was difficult to make, but we know we need to dedicate our efforts to completing this massive rallying project,' said Jean-Francois Daviau of Sensation Mode.

'This break will allow us to join forces and make this large-scale event successful and more appealing to the general public, industry professionals and our partners.'

Held each August in downtown Montreal, the Fashion and Design Festival includes fashion shows, live art installations and musical performances.

The most recent edition of the festival held last August featured famed French designer and artist Jean-Charles de Castelbajac as honorary chair.

The newly merged Fashion and Design Festival and Montreal Fashion Week event is scheduled to take place from Aug. 20-23. Programming for the showcase will be announced in March.

Staged twice a year, Montreal Fashion Week has offered a platform for local designers to showcase their collections to buyers, media and members of the public who were able to attend in person or access the shows through online streaming.

The semi-annual event celebrated its 25th edition in September. Its absence on the upcoming Fashion Week calendar will leave a noticeable gap among Canada's homegrown style showcases.

© The Canadian Press, 2013

Is that you, Donatella? Lady Gaga recreates the fashion icon's look as the new ...

By Debbie Emery

PUBLISHED: 17:34 EST, 23 November 2013 | UPDATED: 19:26 EST, 23 November 2013

Lady Gaga is notorious for creating the most unique and outlandish styles in show business, but her latest look is very familiar.

For the new Spring campaign as the face of Versace that was unveiled on Saturday, the 27-year-old singer mirrors the classic style of the fashion house's Vice President, Donatella Versace.

Draped on a satin sofa in a lilac wrap dress and her long blonde hair flowing down her body, the Bad Romance star looks remarkably like the Italian fashion designer.

In the stunning photograph that was taken by Mert Alas and Marcus Piggot, only Gaga's armful of tattoos distinguishes her from her doppelganger.

The skintight dress - no doubt baring the Versace label - binds around her torso in an intricate way, with a large silver ornament resting in her cleavage that is attached to a heavy chain around her neck.

The Poker Face star stares sultrily at the camera, as she rests a heavily bejeweled hand on her hip.

'I am honoured that my friend Lady Gaga is the face of our new Versace campaign,' Donatella told the Keen Gaga fans will have noticed that the ARTPOP creator wore custom costumes created by the Italian fashion house for her appearance on Saturday Night Live last week, hinting that she was involved in a collaboration with them. Independent before her recent fashion show. 'I wanted to capture her true beauty and spirit in images that are elegant and alluring. She is like family to me, the embodiment of the Versace DNA.'

'Thank u to @versace for the beautiful custom costumes they designed for all my performances on the show! #SNLVersaceGaga am I dreaming?' tweeted the New York native, who transformed into a showgirl in a stunning gold and sequin-embellished, fringed corset for one of her performances.

'She is like family to me, the embodiment of the Versace DNA,' gushed 58-year-old Donatella, who owns 20 per cent of the stock assets of the company since her brother, Gianni Versace, was killed.

As for Gaga, she returned the love by dedicating a track to her mentor: 'What do you wanna wear this spring? / What do you think is the new thing?' she ask in the song from her new ARTPOP album.

'Donatella is an incredible crazy fun pop song with really raising electronic beats that I did with Zedd,' she told Just Jared in August. 'It's about being a fearless female and not caring what people say about you - being proud of who you are and walking the walk no matter what.

'Maybe she's a bitch, maybe she's too skinny, maybe she's too rich, maybe she's too out there. Or, maybe she's brilliant, maybe she's intelligent, maybe she's strong, maybe she's everything, maybe she's Donatella.'

Lady Gaga had equally as interesting words to describe her current boyfriend, Chicago Fire actor Taylor Kinney, when she went on the Ellen DeGeneres Show on Friday, calling the 32-year-old a 'hidden weirdo.'

'He is extremely strange, actually. We complement each other's weirdness,' she told the talk show host, according to People.com.

'That's actually one of the first things he ever said to me. It's a Dr. Seuss quote. You find in someone else a compatible weirdness.'

Recounting how they first met when he appeared in her 'You and I' video in 2011, Gaga said she 'looked ridiculously crazy' during the shoot.

'I've got these pins sticking out of my head and I'm wearing cork and I've got no hair and I'm bald,' she recalled. 'I mean, why he found me attractive just completely behooves me.

'We were in the middle of this scene and I remember that he kissed me and it wasn't scripted for him to kiss me.

'I was sort of like, 'Uh, you know, was that real or was that fake?' And he just didn't really say anything, and that was fine by me and we just kept filming,' she revealed.

'At the end of the day, he's my best friend and having your lover be your best friend - I mean, it's the best thing ever,' the lovesick singer concluded.

Charities' plea not to buy pups online as Christmas gifts

TWO leading animal rescue charities are urging people not to buy puppies online for Christmas that are typically bred by illicit traders in appalling conditions.

The DSPCA and Dogs Trust said unscrupulous dog traders are churning out thousands of puppies for the Christmas market which are more often than not bred for purpose in inhumane and poor conditions.

The DSPCA estimates there are more than 10,000 dogs and puppies advertised for sale online on any given day in Ireland.

And of the more than 1,600 animals rehomed by the DSPCA in the past twelve months, more than 35pc of dogs were pedigree, according to the animal welfare charity at the launch of its Christmas appeal.

DSPCA Chief Executive Brian Gillen said: 'Not alone have we seen a substantial increase in abandoned pedigree pets, post-Celtic Tiger, but also a very worrying increase in pets purchased on the internet in line with the massive increase of online sales in general.

'We estimate that on any given day there are in excess of 10,000 dogs and puppies for sale online.'

Dogs Trust has already logged 1,245 adverts placed on a popular trading website over the past week advertising puppies for sale.

But even some of the photos reveal the poor conditions they are living in - such as sleeping on beds of straw or bales of hay, said the charity's spokeswoman Kathrina Bentley.

Already Dogs Trust has had to rehome its first 'winter abandonment' of the year in which a despicable dog owner callously threw a tiny Jack Russell terrier over an 8ft fence at the trust's rehoming centre in |Finglas on one of the coldest nights of the year earlier this month.

Fortunately, the three-and-a-half-year-old dog - that was affectionately named 'Graham' by one of the centre's staff - didn't suffer any injuries and he is now being nurtured by the centre's staff.

Irish Independent

Nick Grimshaw appointed ambassador of London Collections: Men

Nick Grimshaw has been appointed ambassador of London Collections: Men, in a move that the British Fashion Council hopes will capitalise on the burgeoning success of the British menswear week, now in its second year.

The Radio 1 DJ joins fellow presenter Dermot O'Leary, David Gandy and Tinie Tempah as the celebrity arm of the menswear committee to champion British designers and support London Collections: Men.

It's a shrewd appointment by the BFC. Grimshaw's signature style is laid-back - leather jackets, T-shirts, denim - but he gives good red carpet and isn't afraid to experiment. His approachable nature contrasts fashion's standoffish reputation and will help make London Collections: Men a more inclusive event. Most importantly, he brings a sense of fun to proceedings (and fashion, after all, should be fun): earlier this year he snapped himself dressed as pal Alexa Chung, and most recently took the stage at the Teen Music Awards, dressed in a leopard-print coat, as Rita Ora.

Dylan Jones, chair of London Collections: Men, said: 'We are thrilled that Nick Grimshaw has become an ambassador for London Collections: Men, as his innate style, his enormous influence and his enthusiasm for British fashion makes him a perfect choice.'

Already a regular at London fashion week, Grimshaw is can often be seen front row at Giles, Fashion East and at close friend Henry Holland's show. He recently presented the Channel 4 show Style the Nation, a nationwide search for budding stylists to work with high-street retailer New Look.

* London Collections: Men AW14 will run from 6-8 January 2014.

6abc Investigates: Underground dog dealer accused of selling sick puppies

October 31, 2013 (WPVI) -- An underground dog dealer arrested once for allegedly selling sick puppies out of his car, is in trouble for selling dogs again. A viewer contacted Action News after the Shih Tzu she purchased from William Roberts died 6 days later.

Action News went undercover to confront the dealer.

Twenty-eight sick dogs were seized from William Roberts Gloucester County home in 2008. Officers with the New Jersey Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals raided his home, and briefly jailed Roberts. Those charges were later dismissed.

Then last year, the county issued a cease and desist order to Roberts after getting another complaint he was illegally selling sick dogs. But Action News found him violating that order, selling puppies out of his car again.

Action News found someone using the aliases John and Bill Roberts on puppyfind.com selling 15 different but very similar-looking dogs.

After calling 'John,' a man calling himself 'Bill' met us in a parking lot as authorities say he does with most of his customers. This particular stop was in Bellmawr, New Jersey about 20 miles from his home.

Action News set up the meeting after we got a complaint from Joyce Camarota whose joy over a new puppy, quickly turned to sadness.

'She was so cute and I was just really overjoyed I was happy,' Camarota said. 'I just can't let him get away with it. '

Camarota paid Roberts $650 cash for a 10-week old Shih Tzu she named Molly.

'After he took the money,' Camarota explained, 'he says, 'Don't be surprised if you see blood in its stool.''

Then, about four days later, Camarota continues, 'She had bloody stool, she had blood all over so much and vomiting she couldn't stop. I mean she was just shaking; shaking uncontrollably. There was nothing I could do.'

Camarota rushed Molly to an emergency vet. More than $1,000 later and after spending the night in the animal hospital, Molly died of Parvo in the veterinarian's office. It was only 6 days after Camarato bought the Shih Tzu from Roberts.

Roberts has a long history of complaints in New Jersey. According to the SPCA, he was housing nearly 30 sick puppies in his kennel when they raided his home in 2008. The New Jersey Health Department cited Roberts for unsanitary conditions in 2005 during an inspection.

Gloucester County issued a cease-and-desist order to Roberts after getting another sick dog complaint last year. But that hasn't stopped him from selling more puppies.

In spite of New Jersey laws that require dealers to be licensed, and for dogs for sale to be examined by a vet, Roberts didn't provide us or Camarota with any official veterinary records.

Authorities say he doesn't have a pet dealer's license. He told Action News during our meeting that he gives the dogs their shots.

Here's the conversation we had with him on a hidden camera:

Wendy: 'At 13 weeks what kinds of shots have they had?' Bill: 'Shots are done. If you take it I am going to give it another shot right here.'

Wendy: 'So do you do their own shots?' Bill: 'Yes.'

Wendy: 'You do them yourself?' Bill: 'Yep. Because they only cost me $3.'

When Action News told Roberts we were investigating him for allegations he was selling sick dogs, the conversation abruptly stopped.

The charges against roberts in 2008 were administratively dropped. Roberts said he intends to sue the SPCA for harassment, but he refused to answer any of our other questions.

Roberts and his attorney did not return multiple calls to discuss the active cease-and-desist order or why he isn't licensed as a pet dealer in New Jersey, which would require his home to be inspected by the health department.

When we asked for the vet records for the dog he sold Camarota and the two dogs that he showed us during our meeting, they refused to answer my calls.

He refunded Camarota the cost of the dog, but to date has not paid for any of the emergency vet bills.

When it comes to rules and regulations governing the sales of animals, Pennsylvania, New Jersey and Delaware all have varied enforcement policies and practices. Here are links to help you track down what you need to know.

Pennsylvania's Puppy Lemon Law: Law in Pennsylvania requires that sellers and breeders of dogs in the state must have a sign posted that details consumers' rights and responsibilities under the Pennsylvania Dog Purchaser Protection Act, also known as the 'Puppy Lemon Law'. Sellers and breeders must also provide a written copy of the consumer's rights at the time of the sale.

Delaware's Pet Warranties: Delaware also has legal requirements whenever anyone sells a dog. The seller must provide a written, dated disclosure signed by both the seller and the buyer. The disclosure must include a statement that either

The animal has no diseases Discloses that the animal has a disease, illness or congenital or hereditary condition that adversely affects the health of the animal at the time of sale or is likely to adversely affect the health of the animal in the future. You can get more information about Delaware's Pet Warranties by following this link to Delaware Code TITLE 6 - Commerce and Trade - SUBTITLE II - Other Laws Relating to Commerce and Trade - CHAPTER 40. PET WARRANTIES

New Jersey's Kennel Regulations : In the Garden State, the Office of Animal Welfare handles oversight of the sellers of pets, and the regulations are posted at this link. Additionally, you can see the New Jersey's official inspection sheet used to check out kennels, pet stores and other pet selling facilities at this link.

You can also check out this list of Licensed Shelters and Pounds in New Jersey.

(Copyright ©2013 WPVI-TV/DT. All Rights Reserved.)

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Vintage Fashion Hoard Worth £100000 Found In Houghton

A collection of vintage fashion estimated to be worth at least £100,000 has been found at a home in Houghton-le-Spring.

The clothes belonged to a woman called Vervia who died last year aged 92, and was found by the executers of her will - her best friend Sheila Ellis and cousin Ann.

The collection will go on sale to the public at a special ticket-only event at Vervia's home in Houghton-le-Spring on Saturday December 7.

Sheila said: 'I was absolutely astounded to find trunk upon trunk with clothes in that hadn't seen the light of day for half a century or more.

'It was absolutely amazing.

'We'd like the clothes to be used and come alive again and for other people to gain the pleasure from them that Vervia obviously did.'

The collection includes items from Victorian and Edwardian times as well 1940s, 50s and 60s clothes and accessories.

Many of the items were found in near pristine condition, and others have been restored. Vervia's mother's wedding dress was one of the items found.

The Victorian garment dating to the 1890s won't go on sale with the other items.

Vintage dealer Paula Donaldson who runs boutique Dregs Of Society in Whitley Bay has helped price the items and coordinate their sale. She said: 'To find such a prolific collection is once in a lifetime.

'Some of the evening dresses are around £150 at the top end, they're actually worth a lot more but we're pricing to sell.

'It's the amount of things that actually amount to the £100,000, not just the quality.'

For full details about the vintage sale, click here.

Related stories More from News

Mercedes

(Photo : REUTERS/David Gray)

It used to be that when you attended a show during fashion week and saw an item on the runway that you just had to have, you had to wait several months before it would appear in stores and you could purchase it.

But IMG Fashion is in the process of changing that procedure with a new plan to cater to consumers during fashion week.

While announcing changes to its Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week Australia lineup for 2014 on Thursday, IMG unveiled plans to add a new two-day, consumer-focused showcase, dubbed Mercedes-Benz Fashion Weekend Edition, in addition to an e-commerce initiative that will allow consumers to purchase merchandise straight off the runway .

This new consumer showcase will immediately follow the Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week Australia schedule, which will take place from April 7 to April 10. The public can purchase tickets to the event, which will take place at the same venue as the runway shows and will feature four shows a day, in addition to styling sessions and blogger discussions.

Designers who are participating in this showcase can offer a selection of their new season merchandise either straight off their runways via pre-order or on a buy-now basis through exclusive merchandise produced for the pop-up shop. Items purchased via pre-order will take between eight to 10 weeks to be delivered, which is still much sooner than they will arrive in stores.

For those who can't make it to the event in person, you can still shop the items via an online store, which is linked to Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week Australia's live stream program and will remain operational for up to six weeks after the event.

If this event is well-received in Austrailia, Elle Turner, IMG Fashion director of brand and strategy, said the concept might make its way to other IMG Fashion events internationally.

'The learnings from this program will be shared with the global team and form part of the knowledge base for the next incarnation of events in other regions' Turner told WWD.

'To ensure we can facilitate future opportunities, the e-commerce platform is being built as a component of the global mbfashionweek.com hub with the capability to manage multiple currencies and languages.'

'In the past few years, we've seen more and more designers participating in events around the globe find ways to generate sales from the interest and hype promoted by the runway shows. As event organizers, the Australian e-commerce solution will be the first time IMG Fashion has undertaken an e-tail initiative,' she added.

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© 2013 FashionTimes.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.

Business incubator has eye on making Phoenix a magnet for fashion designers

PHOENIX -- Producing T-shirts bearing slogans such as 'Chillionaire' and 'Work Hard, Love Hard,' Scottsdale's Michael Poulos hopes that his beach clothing line will inspire others to live their dreams.

Poulos has been able to make his company, Living Dreams, his top priority since June 2012, when being accepted into Phoenix Fashion Week's incubator for designers connected him with four months of fashion shows, media exposure and lessons in marketing.

'It's been, I'd say, full-time from that day forward,' he said, adding that the experience led to $4,000 in sales.

Phoenix Fashion Week, a company that organizes the annual fashion show and connects designers with buyers, is trying to make the Valley a fashion hub through the Emerging Designer Program, which helped Poulos, as well as through its Fashion Hub co-working space.

Poulos, one of 12 designers selected for the 2012 program, didn't win the $10,000 prize package that included business consulting and a magazine spread. But he and the others were still eligible for business training, promotion and placement in two fashion shows, valued at $1,295.

The program culminated at Phoenix Fashion Week's October event, which drew dozens of designers to showcase their fashions.

Brian Hill, Phoenix Fashion Week's executive director, said next year's Emerging Designer Program will select 15 designers from a pool of about 300 fashion brands.

It was developed four years ago to prepare designers for Fashion Week beyond just designs, he said.

'In reality, young designers were really focused on their clothing and their craft. They weren't focused on the business side of it,' Hill said.

Young designers need to target specialized retailers and bloggers who will love their products and evangelize for the brands, he said.

'You have to get the people who will drink your Kool-Aid,' Hill said.

The program originated as a way to build sustainable clothing brands in Arizona, he said.

'If you gotta go to LA or New York to run your fashion brand, you can't hire a great marketing person from NAU,' Hill said.

From June until October, designers meet online every other Wednesday to learn business skills like marketing, writing press releases and developing appropriate profit margins, he said, noting that the designers only need to be in Phoenix three times during the program.

Los Angeles-based brand Shawl Dawls expanded from being in one store to 110 retails across the country because of the program, Hill said.

Zappos.com, the online shoe and clothing retailer, now carries four brands from the program, he said.

In addition to the Emerging Designer Program, Phoenix Fashion Week's Fashion Hub, workspace located in east Phoenix, allows designers to collaborate and hone their skills while renting cubicles for $250 a month, Hill said.

Designers who use the Fashion Hub can take advantage of Phoenix Fashion Week's weekly classes on topics like branding and profit margins, and they can immediately apply the knowledge to their brands, he said.

Hill said Phoenix Fashion Week plans to expand in 2014 to let designers cut and sew their fashions as well as adding a photography studio.

Elizabeth Norris-Baines, an aspiring fashion designer from Northern California, said the Fashion Hub has helped her develop contacts and learn about business while she designs a line of business shirts for women.

'So it's really given me a platform to succeed,' she said.

Norris-Baines, who owns a construction company in Oakland, Calif., said that despite having success starting and running a company she still has much to learn about the fashion industry.

'This is retail. This is completely different than what I'm accustomed to,' she said.

'Necessary Roughness' Alum to Recur on ABC Family's 'Baby Daddy' (Exclusive)

ABC Family's Baby Daddy is introducing a new family member.

Necessary Roughness vet Amanda Detmer has joined the comedy in a season-three recurring role, The Hollywood Reporter has learned.

The Soul Man's Kim Coles has also booked a guest-starring role.

Detmer will appear in several episodes as Riley's ( Chelsea Kane) Aunt Margot. Described as fun and free-spirited with an aversion to responsibility, Margot's got a few secrets up her sleeve.

Set for one episode, Coles will portray Vice Principal Peters. Still working at Riley and Danny's ( Derek Theler) old high school when the two return to chaperone a prom, she has no filter and is a stickler for the rules. She's just as tough on Riley as she's always been, but has a soft spot for Danny.

Detmer is repped by Abrams Artists Agency. Coles is repped by elev8 and Authentic Speakers Agency.

Baby Daddy airs a holiday episode Dec. 11 on ABC Family.

E-mail: Philiana.Ng@THR.com Twitter: @insidethetube

Going to the dogs: Autism program at Williams produces canine treats for sale

A couple days a week, the smell of baking and cinnamon wafts down the second floor hall at Williams High School.

'When we walk down the hall, all the kids stick their heads out and say, 'I want one,'' said Jennifer Hogg, teacher assistant with the school's autism program. 'And I say, 'They're dog bones.''

They look surprised and lose interest, Hogg said.

The six students in Williams' autism program mix the dough in their large classroom, roll it, cut it into Christmas or dog-friendly shapes, and hustle it down the hall to the oven in the food lab to bake.

It is a funny thing, said teacher John Osborne, since they had a hard time selling cookies last year. People would eat one cookie, but were too weight conscious to buy more. They get excited about dog treats, though.

While senior Tyson Haith starts mixing the dough, Zach Farrington puts the baked and cooled bones into a box with six squares drawn on it, one in each square. He puts them in clear plastic bags, and ties them with silver twist ties. Jaiquese Pinnix helps with the packaging and places them in a laundry basket. Each bag has the name of the person who ordered them.