Monday, September 8, 2008

I don't wanna grow up

I'm a Toy's R Us kid! *sings*

Ok, ok. some of us are more of a kid at heart than others, but even if we aren't, at least we can still look younger. According to Dr. Robyn Tisdale Scott, using products with shea butter in it can help us slow down the aging process.

"Organic Shea Butter is a moisturizer, but studies show that it can do much
more. It actually has anti-aging properties which fight lines and wrinkles, dull
skin and dryness. This will help immensely in the fight against aging. Shea
Butter contains
Vitamins A and E, and is a great source of specific healthy fats and acids which are great for your skin. In fact, some studies show that you can tell a difference in the way your skin looks in just 4 to 6 weeks. Smoother, softer and supple skin can all be achieved with Shea Butter, and it also protects your skin from the sun."


You can read the full article here.


I can seeee youuuuu

Well, no, I really can't, but I finally figured out how to install a tracker here. I kept reading other people talk about how many hits their blog gets and I couldn't figure out how they knew! Silly me...I thought that perhaps Blogger had a built in tracker and I was just being less than intelligent and couldn't find it...but that's not the case! I am not yet verifiably dim-witted nor does Blogger have one built in.

I found StatCounter and already love it :). Now I can see how many people are viewing us each day and become depressed at the low number, lol. It will pick up, I'm sure. Everyone says "Blog, blog, blog and then blog some more!" Oy...how does one work full time outside of the house, run a home-based business on top of that, AND blog daily? I'll give it my best shot! Maybe if I spend less time drooling over the pretties on Etsy each day....

Sunday, September 7, 2008

So many wonderful things!

I am constantly amazed at the treasures I find on Etsy. Each day I find at least 20 things that I "just HAVE to have!"

I wanted to take a minute and share some of the beautiful things that have grabbed my attention.








Heather Brown and Paprika Mary Jane

Each of the above items are just one of many gorgeous things listed in each shop...do yourself a favor and make sure you check out theses sellers!






Getting the word out

We've finally ordered supplies to start on our sugar scrubs, milk baths, and shampoo and conditioners. They should be delivered mid next week, hopefully...and then I'll be a busy little bee!

We have a holiday craft show on our schedule for the first weekend of December. I have a few weeks to get some pictures taken, the application completed and mailed in. I'm crossing my fingers we'll be chosen to participate. I'm anxious to put together more gift baskets and I think a holiday craft show is the perfect venue to sell them.

We're trying like mad to network and get the word out. Most of the sales we've had so far are from people we "know" from some of our ususal online haunts, a couple more due to recommendations, and our largest sale so far -- we answered an add on Freecycle for packing peanuts and left some soap and lotion samples for the lady. She contacted us a couple days later to place a large order...some for her, some to give away as gifts!

I'm spending a lot of time reading the Etsy forums (especially Business Topics) and also checking out other sellers' blogs. I'm going to start adding some of them as favorites here....there are just so many talented and crafty folks out there!

Wednesday, September 3, 2008

Introducing...

A few new scents! We got busy in the kitchen and came up with some great Fall/Winter scents that I think everyone will love!

Honey Oatmeal Cake
Orange Pomander
Lavender Mint
Lemon & Sage
Lemongrass & Thyme
Blueberry Cobbler
Harvest

....all in our Creamy Goat's Milk Base.

Pictures to follow and listings on Etsy tomorrow :)

The Wonders of Networking

First up, its all about networking and word of mouth.

Amy contacted someone in our local Freecycle list because she is giving away a bag full of packing peanuts, and she has asked for samples of our soap, so we took her some samples of Cucumber Mint soap and lotion. She emailed Amy back raving about it and said that we'd be seeing her around the holidays. :)

Amy is also planning on taking some samples and business cards with her next week and for J to take to work with him. T has taken some and gotten a few orders from his minions at work, who are also spreading the word to their girlfriends, etc.

In the meantime we've been getting rave reviews from people who have already purchased the soap, including these:

--I wanted to say that I LOVE your soaps! My skin is no longer dry and itchy after baths and showers and I've even stopped using lotion afterwards daily. [My kids] who are even more prone to dry skin than me (the ones with eczema) have been using it and I see a big difference there too. Plus they smell like thin mint cookies when they're done and they like that. I'll definitely be a repeat customer. And now that I see you have bath salts up, I'll be ordering sooner rather than later. - Aylwyn

--This soap is pretty awesome. The dragon's blood scent isn't overwhelming like some dragon's blood products I've used. It also looks nice and makes my skin soft. - Pinkcaffiene

--This, too, is awesome. I've used some sandalwood products made by other people that really overwhelm me with the smell, this is not that way, just right. As with the others, it made my skin really soft, rinsed off cleanly and.. well, cleaned. Good stuff. - Pinkcaffiene

--Suds up awesomely. Definately softened the skin. - Pearls

--These are amazing soaps, that last a long time. There's nothing like Lavender mint to wake you up in the morning, and cinnamon nutmeg to put you to sleep. - Mohnkern

I won't mention my receptionist who after using the Pomegranate Vanilla soap forced me to feel how soft her skin is....she says she's our #1 fan. #1! LOL.

Yay for good reviews.

We also have a couple of sales going on at Etsy including:

A Labor Day Special on our Basic Gift Set (1 bar soap, 1 8oz lotion, 1 9oz bath salt) at $16.50, over 25% off our regular price of $22.50.

And we also have special on bar soaps, through Etsy only, Buy 5 regularly priced bars, get 1 free.

As well, we've decided to start phasing out our summertime scents (Citrus Amber, Strawberry Vanilla, Orange Cream, Lemon Cream, Tea Tree and Chamomile, Cucumber Mint, and Ocean Breeze), and those (soaps only) are currently on sale for $3 a bar while supplies last.

In the works currently, are final plans and purchases so that we can begin to create our larger gift baskets, including Smoothing Sugar Scrub, All Natural Un-Beatable Body Butter, Luscious Lip Balms (also all natural), and Ultra Moisturizing Bath Bombs. We will be getting them started soon, so that we can be ready for craft shows in the fall and ready for shipping to customers who order online.

We're also offering Gift Shipping, so that anyone who wants to order and save postage by not having to mail things twice, can tell us who to send the gift to, and we'll mail the package directly to the gift recipient. We'll include a gift copy of the invoice (no prices included) and a gift card with the purchaser's requested greeting in the gift package, and email the actual invoice to the person purchasing the order. All that will be required is that each gift shipped will pay the full shipping price and no multiple purchase discounts can be applied to shipping. Wrapping the gift (inside the box) can also be included for a small additional fee. All in all things seem to be going pretty well for a brand new business.

And remember, if you have a special request, just ask...we're pretty flexible!